By Einböck, from their Organic Farming Guidebook
In spring of 2017, organic spring wheat and soybeans were sown in plots (4000 m² each). Each crop was seeded once in standard row (row spacing 13 cm / 5”) and on wide row (row spacing 37.5 cm / 15”).
Location
The test area is located at 4751 Dorf an der Pram (Austria), at an altitude of 460m above sea level. The average annual temperature is 11 degrees Celsius and the average annual rainfall is 900 litres/m² (distributed over 80 days of rain). The soil type is silty loam.
Seeding
At spring wheat, the sowing rate was reduced by 28 % compared to standard row. (345 grains/m² instead of 480 grains/m²) In the case of soybean, 70 grains/m² were sown on both plots.
Basis for calculation:
• Machine costs without driver (OEKL-values 2017)
• Costs for soil preparation, seedbed preparation, sowing and harvesting were not included, because they were identical in both systems
Mechanical weed control:
(Regarding the weather conditions, the optimal times for weed control of the respective crops wasn´t possible)
• Spring wheat standard row
• Tine weeding: start of tillering
• Tine weeding: middle of tillering
• Spring wheat “wide row”
• Hoeing: start of tillering
• Hoeing: middle till end of tillering
• Tine weeding: end of tillering
Soybean standard row:
• Blind-weeding: 4 days after seeding
• Tine weeding: 2nd seed leaf was visible
• Tine weeding: the plant was 10 cm / 4“ high
Soybean “wide row“:
• Blind-weeding: 4 days after seeding
• Hoeing: 2nd seed leaf was visible
• Tine weeding: the plant was 10 cm / 4“ high
• Hoeing: shortly before blooming
Result spring wheat:
In addition to the 5.7 % increase in yield, a 0.58 % increase at the protein content was observed. The increased protein content leading to a higher profit.
- Revenue: for standard row (protein > 13 % protein 415.38 €, according to Agrar Markt Austria for 2016/17 without tax) *
- Revenue: for Wide Row (protein > 14 % protein: 442.40 €, according to Agrar Markt Austria for 2016/17 without tax)
Despite the increased cost for weed control, a 10.2 % surplus of profit was possible, because of the reduced seed costs and the higher price for the higher protein content of the spring wheat in the “wide row”.
Result soybeans:
By breaking the soil crust with the hoe, the gas exchange and the activity of the nodule bacteria was increased. This is the reason, why the soybeans achieve a 40 % higher yield in the wide row than in standard row.
* Revenue: Price for organic soybeans for food industry 2016/17 according to Agrar Markt Austria 701.93 €/t without tax
Despite the increased cost for weed control, a significant increase in profit of 70.4 % was achieved
In the left picture you can see the plot seeded on standard rows, in the right picture you can see the plot seeded on “wide rows“