Study shows that faster soybean planting does not compromise quality and can increase productivity

What is the impact of speed when planting soybeans with the Massey Ferguson Momentum planter? The first global project 100% developed and manufactured in Brazil by AGCO, the multinational owner of the Massey Ferguson brand, the planter has been a sensation since its launch in April 2019. To answer the initial question, a comparative study of planting speed was carried out in three different agricultural regions of the country, during two harvests with the equipment.

The work consisted of a comparison with the following speeds in the planting operation: 7.0, 9.0 and 10,5 km/h in the 2018/2019 harvest on a farm in the municipality of Sorriso (MT); 5,0, 7,5 and 10 km/h in the 2019/2020 harvest, on a property in Santa Bárbara do Sul (RS) and another in São Gabriel do Oeste (MS).

The results were quite surprising. No statistical difference was noted in soybean productivity, that is, planting carried out with the Momentum planter, even at higher speeds, guaranteed the same crop production index, according to the graphs below:

The numbers demonstrated that, using the Momentum planter, it is possible to plant soybeans at speeds of up to 10,5 km/h without harming crop productivity. During work, the team was able to plant at 2, 3,5 and even 5 km/h faster, losing 0% or less than 1% of productivity.

Large farms in the Cerrado region or even medium-sized farms in southern Brazil face planting a complex and highly important task, which defines the productivity of the crop and the profitability of the farmer. At this stage, field teams are often challenged to speed up planting, to make the operation happen within an optimal window. 

The study demonstrated that Brazilian farms now have a solution to plant faster, without compromising crop productivity. With these results, the farmer will be able to increase the speed of the machine, maintaining the quality of his production, planting within the ideal window, which increases crop productivity and, consequently, the farmer's income. It is important to highlight that these results were obtained in different soil and topography conditions, that is, both on flat terrain and lighter soil, and on undulating terrain and heavier soil, the Momentum planter planting system guaranteed the same level of productivity, at the speeds evaluated in this work.

Figure 2, below, shows the potential productivity of soybean**, according to the planting date, as well as the amount of area planted according to the speed of the planting operation. Using a speed of 10,5 km/h we have a 33% increase in operation efficiency, planting 77% of the crop within the ideal window, 26% more compared to 7 km/h.

 

The results are a consequence of a technological set that makes up the machine, and are not due to the performance of a specific component. The Smart Frame system, exclusive to the equipment, ensures that the planting lines are always in the correct position and in contact with the ground, providing uniform planting depth even on undulating terrain, including terraces.

The Precision Planting vSet and vDrive solutions, embedded in the Momentum planter, guarantee correct spacing between seeds in the planting furrow and also the correct quantity per hectare, interacting in real time with the operator through information (seed rate, singulation, failures , doubles, etc.) sent to the 2020 monitor. Thus, Momentum has a unique combination of technologies that achieves high quality in planting, combined with great agility in operation, from north to south, in different terrains and planting conditions.

Considering that different planting speeds provide a difference in the amount of area planted per working day and that the Momentum planter demonstrated the ability to plant faster while maintaining soybean productivity, two planting scenarios were created for a 2.500 hectare farm, as seen in Figure 2. When planting is carried out at 10,5 km/h, productivity can increase by up to 398 kg per hectare when compared to planting at 7 km/h, due to better use of the planting window, previously illustrated in Figure 2. This means an increase in income of up to R$464,33 per hectare***, as can be seen in Figure 3.

 

**The database consulted to determine how much reduction we have in productivity, as soybean planting is delayed, came from a master's thesis carried out in the Sinop region (MT), which compared soybean productivity at different times of planting. The document can be consulted via the link: https://www1.ufmt.br/ppga/arquivos/3e2cca7e8cef5cff0c04e8e07177e5c5.pdf.

***Value of soybeans considered was R$70,00.