Inconsistent crop emergence decreases yield potential. See for yourself using an Emergence Flagging Kit.
Why is flagging crops important?
Inconsistent plant emergence decreases yield potential no matter what type of crop it is. To maximize the yield of each seed planted, all plants should emerge on the same day. We've learned that plants that come up later than 24 hours after the first plants emerge never catch up and do not achieve their maximum potential due to being behind in growth stage and being shaded by neighboring plants decreasing their sunlight intake.
Flagging allows you to mark each plant with a day of emergence so you can compare throughout the growing season. Right before harvest, you'll want to observe the difference in yield between emergence dates and identify ways to improve to have more plants emerge on the same day next season.
I already have a kit, how do I use it?
Check out the instructions in your kit or watch the video here that walks you through how to use your flags to track emergence.
