ABE TUTORIALS

AGRICULTURAL AND BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING

PROBLEM:
WHAT SEED SPACING IS REQUIRED WHEN PLANTING CORN IN ROWS 102 CM APART IF THE DESIRED PLANT POPULATION IS 6,000 PLANTS PER HECTARE AND AN AVERAGE EMERGENCE OF 85% IS EXPECTED.

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Select the required seed spacing:

a. 163 cm
b. 72 cm
c. 140 cm
d. 82 cm

Click to View Solution

Step 1: Calculate the required number of seeds to plant.
Since only 85% of seeds emerge, we must plant more than 6,000.
Seeds needed = Desired Population / Emergence Rate
Seeds needed = 6,000 / 0.85 ≈ 7,059 seeds per hectare

Step 2: Determine the area allocated per seed.
1 hectare = 100,000,000 cm²
Area per seed = 100,000,000 cm² / 7,059 seeds ≈ 14,167 cm²/seed

Step 3: Calculate seed spacing along the row.
Seed Spacing = Area per seed / Row Spacing
Seed Spacing = 14,167 cm² / 102 cm ≈ 138.9 cm

Result: c. 140 cm (rounded)