Performance of Side Banded Openers

Date: March 1997
Term: 2 years
Status: Completed
Researcher: Gordon Hultgreen, Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute
SaskCanola Investment: n/a
Total Project Cost: n/a
Funding Partners: n/a

Project Summary

A field research trial to evaluate the performance of five bolt-on side band openers in crop establishment and final yield and quality was conducted at 10 locations in Saskatchewan in 1995 and 1996. The results showed the Flexi-coil and Gen openers gave the best emergence results in canola. The other three openers showed reduced performance in seed/fertilizer separation, however, this did not translate into reduced yield.

A field research trial to evaluate the performance of five bolt‐on side band openers in the establishment and yield of spring wheat and canola was conducted at 10 locations in Saskatchewan in 1995 and 1996. The objective of this research was to assess the performance of openers in crop establishment and final yield and quality. The openers tested included Flexi‐coil Stealth, Dutch‐Vern Eaglebuster, Swede SW470, GEN 200, and Morris Edge On Mount. Trial locations were selected to provide a range of soil and environmental conditions.

PAMI air seed plot drill.

Source: PAMI

Overall, the openers tested provided good to excellent yield results and fertilizer response. When properly adjusted for individual site soil conditions at seeding, little difference can be expected in the performance of the side band openers tested in the establishment and grain yield of spring wheat. With canola, combined yield data from all ten sites showed that canola grain yield did not reflect the variability in seedling stand establishment – yields were virtually identical among openers for each N rate. The ability of the canola crop to branch offsets any reduction in emergence due to mixing of seed and fertilizer. For both spring wheat and canola where differences between openers were recorded, the Flexi‐coil Stealth and GEN 200 opener gave the best results.

Careful attention to opener wear is necessary to ensure proper crop establishment and yield. Producers are cautioned that wear on an opener can lead to changes in the seed ‐fertilizer separation observed when the opener was new. Openers that are shank mounted may also lose separation ability at higher speeds or if too deep in harder soil conditions, or if shanks are too light in rating. This is because it allows the opener to travel at the wrong angle to the horizontal. Proper mounting that also determines opener angle is always crucial. In addition, proper adjustment of an opener to both the implement shank angle and field conditions can have a dramatic effect on final outcome. Given the importance of crop establishment to achieving optimum grain yields, bolt‐on side band openers that provide good crop establishment are recommended.

Knife used for opener comparison. FRIeixcoil Stealth Opener

Source: PAMI Source: PAMI

Full Report PDF: n/a