Plot Trials

The time has arrived for the ProGene team to plant and maintain plot trials. The following photos show a small glimpse into the many steps required to organize and plant these trials. They are used to grow small amounts of seed to test varying factors such as quality, harvest timing, grain yield, forage yield, and many other variety attributes in a controlled environment, rather than a large-scale area. 

The trial area is first prepped for planting and marked with flags as well as plot lines to separate the varieties into the small areas we call plots. A lot of prep work goes into planting our research trials. Before we are ready to plant, Luz and the research team go through the data from previous years' trials to determine what will go into next year's trials. Once the entries are finalized, the seed varieties are located in our warehouses, counted, and each seed envelope is numbered so that they are able to be tracked throughout the mapping, planting, note-taking, and harvest process. This is the process we have developed and streamlined over our many years of operation, and we have found that this system works well for us, though there are many ways to go about trials.

The team then takes to the field with our specialized plot equipment where Luz loads and trips the cone planter which evenly distributes the seed through the planter and into the soil, all while the tractor driver does their best to maintain a consistent speed and lines straight. Ryan then checks seed depth to ensure the seeds are planted at the correct depth for the corresponding crop. 
​
The trials are then cared for and closely monitored, and various notes are taken at different stages of growth. For example, oats and triticale for forage have two stages at which they can be harvested, boot stage or soft dough, while our forage pea harvest is typically done at what we call flat pod stage. These growth stages indicate the maturity level of the plant and give us a standardized harvest time. 
​
​The last two photos show what a more mature trial will look like.