What is it about?
In this insights article we are presenting in the outlook section a hypothesis that crop seed germination might be improved under hot and dry weather conditions when sowing is performed early in the night rather than during the morning or mid-day. Improving the crop seed imbibition and subsequent germination process might be particularly relevant for crop seeds that cannot be sown deeply or for 'water demanding' crop seeds. Indeed, Khan et al. (2017) reported that in Pakistan, under hot and dry field conditions, significantly more maize seedlings emerged in night-time compared to day-time tilled and sown plots.
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Why is it important?
The field emergence of the crop can be increased. This might be particularly relevant under arid and semi-arid environmental conditions which are increasingly prevalent worldwide. However, more field research is needed. For example, weed germination and emergence might be higher as well, although an improved field emergence of the crop will likely alter the crop-weed competition relationship in favour of the crop.
Perspectives
In my point of view, our insights article deals with a fundamental and increasingly important topic, namely how to improve the field emergence of crops under arid and semi-arid environmental conditions. Shifting the crop sowing process during the same day (early night or evening instead of day-time) when usually less stressful environmental conditions are prevailing, has potential to increase food production under traditional soil tillage and sowing practices, where the soil is usually turned shortly before sowing.
Peter Juroszek
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Night-time tillage revisited: the delayed soil desiccation process in night-time tilled plots may promote unexpected weed germination, Weed Research, June 2017, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/wre.12256.
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