CROP SCENE INVESTIGATION – 28 SOLVED: The curious case of Quinn’s corn

by BERNARD TOBIN

The variation in emergence in Quinn’s corn was caused by worn double disc openers on his corn planter, which created a W-shaped seed trench rather than a V-shaped one. This produced great variation in seed depth which led to the uneven emergence in the later-planted fields.

Dekalb agronomist Sean Cochrane explains that when he inspected Quinn’s planter, he used his tape measure to determine that the discs had considerable wear and were one to 1.5 inches smaller than the recommended diameter for discs suitable for the planter.

Better Farming - December 2010