#Plant25 is Complete. Now what?

If you're among the few who have taken the initiative to start planting—or for those active on social media, joined the #plant25 party—you may now be wondering: what’s next?

One of the first things that a seed does, is imbibe, or take in water. By doing so, it begins the plant’s life cycle. As water enters the seed, it activates enzymes and metabolic processes that cause cells to swell and expand within the embryo and endosperm causing the seed to swell slightly. Shortly after that, the radical starts to emerge from the seed. (As seen in the photo of a soybeans seed shown below.)

So, what makes this significant? After all, seeds germinate all the time. The first water that the seed imbibes is critical, and we want that water to be at 50°F or more. The first drink of water that the seed imbibes increases the risk for “Imbibtional Chilling Injury” or Cold Shock Syndrome which is more apparent when water temperatures are closer to 39°F or less. This cold shock can negatively effect germination and eventually plant population.

A corn seed needs to take in 30% of its weight in water and soybean seed needs to take in 50% of its weight in water to start the germination process. The interesting aspect of the germination process is that it starts as soon as the seed imbibes water.

In corn, a large portion of this process takes place in the first 30-90 minutes, with 80%+ of the water taken up in the first 8-12 hours.
Soybeans can take in or imbibe 85-90% of the water in 4-6 hours.

The take home statement is this: If the first water that the plant takes in is warm, that seed should be fine. Conversely, if we were finishing off a field and it started to get cooler, those seeds, or acres that were planted when it was cooler, could see more injury or mortality.

As always, if you have questions regarding this or other Agronomic concerns, contact your Dairyland Seed Agronomist.