Written by Mark Jeschke, Ph.D., Agronomy Information Manager, for the 2018 Pioneer Agronomy Sciences Research Summary.
Central Commodity System (CCS™), Bulk Fill, or Air Seed Delivery (ASD) planter systems may be challenged by larger seed as well as treated seed. To help ensure a high level of performance, proper attention must be given to:
Kinze® Brush Meter: Brush meters have two discs available for soybeans. When the size falls on the split, typically you will need the 48-cell (dark blue) plate.
Table 1. Kinze brush meter plates for soybean.
Kinze EdgeVac®: Kinze recommends graphite and does not generally support talc/graphite blends except for extremely high-humidity conditions.
Case IH® Vacuum Planter: The soybean seed disk with 130 holes can create a low vacuum issue when the larger soybeans touch each other. This causes the soybean seeds to sit in the pocket incorrectly. Use the soybean disk with 80 holes. If the maximum planting speed is too slow with the 80-hole soybean disk, use a 100-hole soybean disk.
Table 2. Case IH vacuum planter disks for soybean.
John Deere® Vacuum: Start with eight inches of vacuum, and adjust to match seed size/treatment. John Deere recommends talc only and does not support the use of graphite or talc/graphite blends.
John Deere Radial Bean Meter: There are three standard soybean seed size settings. Refer to operator’s manual for the correct setting to match the seed that is being planted.
Figure 1. Seed drop using a Kinze brush meter with a 60-cell plate for soybean seed ranging from 1,985 to 2,726 seeds/lb.
Figure 2. Singulation using a Kinze brush meter with a 60-cell plate for soybean seed ranging from 1,985 to 2,726 seeds/lb.
Figure 3. Seed drop using a Kinze brush meter with a 48-cell plate for soybean seed ranging from 1,985 to 2,726 seeds/lb.
Figure 4. Singulation using a Kinze brush meter with a 48-cell plate for soybean seed ranging from 1,985 to 2,726 seeds/lb.
Figure 5. Seed drop using a Case IH vacuum meter for soybean seed ranging from 1,985 to 2,726 seeds/lb.
Figure 6. Singulation using a Case IH vacuum meter for soybean seed ranging from 1,985 to 2,726 seeds/lb.
Figure 7. Seed drop using a John Deere vacuum meter for soybean seed ranging from 1,985 to 2,726 seeds/lb.
Figure 8. Singulation using a John Deere vacuum meter for soybean seed ranging from 1,985 to 2,726 seeds/lb.
Figure 9. Seed drop using a John Deere radial bean meter for soybean seed ranging from 1,985 to 2,726 seeds/lb.
Figure 10. Singulation using a John Deere radial bean meter for soybean seed ranging from 1,985 to 2,726 seeds/lb.
Figure 11. Seed drop using a Precision Planting eSet vacuum meter for soybean seed ranging from 1,985 to 2,726 seeds/lb.
Figure 12. Singulation using a Precision Planting eSet vacuum meter for soybean seed ranging from 1,985 to 2,726 seeds/lb.
Figure 13. Seed drop using a White air meter for soybean seed ranging from 1,985 to 2,726 seeds/lb.
Figure 14. Singulation using a White air meter for soybean seed ranging from 1,985 to 2,726 seeds/lb.
The foregoing is provided for informational use only. Please contact your Pioneer sales professional for information and suggestions specific to your operation. Product performance is variable and depends on many factors such as moisture and heat stress, soil type, management practices and environmental stress as well as disease and pest pressures. Individual results may vary.
