Plant stand counts in cereals

Heading to the fields and doing plant counts is the best way to assess plant establishment. The ideal plant stands to maximize yield potential differ slightly in cereal crops: 

  • Spring wheat 23 - 28 plants/ft2
  • Winter wheat: 20 - 30 plants/ft2
  • Barley: 22 - 25 plants/ft2
  • Oats: 18 - 23 plants/ft2

To get the best plant counts: 

  • Do the plant counts around 3 weeks after seeding, when they have emerged but haven’t started tillering 
  • Use a 1 ft2  square, or a tape measure to get plant counts in 1 ft2 
  • Count in multiple spots in the field; try to choose representative areas
  • Take an average between all the counts
  • The plant stand estimate can be used to fine-tune seeding rate, seeding practices and estimate emergence mortality in each specific field

For more information on plant counts and related decision-making, check out Plant counts to confidence: Turning plant stands into smart decisions. 

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