Taking Stand Counts – Corn

Taking stand counts in newly emerged corn is important for several reasons. Stand counts provide feedback on how well the planter did uniformly spacing seeds down the row and relative to the target seed drop. Stand counts provide insight on the emergence characteristics of the hybrid(s) planted, and observations made while taking stand counts can help prioritize future management activities – timing of and need for post emergence weed control, for example. Stand counts are the best way to see if there are problems with emergence, and, if counts are taken soon after emergence, the cause, or causes, for that problem. Finally, knowing the emerged population provides an update on progress toward attaining optimal yield potential in each field.

Walk at least twenty paces straight into the field before taking a stand count. This will get you away from the field edge, where past tire traffic and or planter speed while slowing into or out of a turn might have altered emergence or seed drop relative to the rest of the field. Try to be random on where and in which row the count is started, and avoid starting counts at a spot where the stand is obviously thicker of thinner compared to average. The table below shows the distance in a single row that corresponds to 1/1000th of an acre for common row widths. Counting the number of plants in this distance and multiplying that number by 1,000 will provide an estimate of the emerged plants in an acre. In 30 inch rows, thirty one (31) plants in 17 feet 5 inches represents an emerged population of 31,000, for example (31 times 1,000).