I need your help, Grow brains 👇

I’ve got two very plausible theories that seem to clash, and I’m trying to reconcile them with real-world data.

Theory A: Bigger seed = better performance

There’s a mountain of university research suggesting that, all things being equal, larger seed size tends to improve germination, early vigour, and often yield.

Corn is the classic example: bigger seed frequently wins.

Theory B: Higher yield = lower nutrient concentration

But in the grain nutrient removal dataset that’s been built, we’re seeing something consistent:

As yield goes up, nutrient concentration goes down, especially micronutrients like:

• Zinc

• Manganese

• and other trace elements

That looks like a dilution effect: more starch/sugars per kernel, proportionally less protein and nutrient density.

The part that’s messing with my head

If bigger seeds are often less nutrient dense (more carbohydrates, relatively speaking), why would they increase yield?

I think I may have been framing it backwards.

I’ve been assuming the “seed advantage” was mostly about nutrient density (especially phosphorus) driving emergence and setting the crop up.

But now I’m wondering if the real lever is energy, not minerals.

New working hypothesis

Maybe bigger seeds help because they contain more carbohydrates, meaning:

• more energy to power germination and early growth

• better root/shoot establishment

• more resilience through stress in the first 10–21 days

• which then shows up later as yield

In other words: the bang-for-buck might be seed energy reserves, not necessarily seed nutrient concentration.

I want your take

• Have you seen bigger seed consistently outperform smaller seed on your farm?

• Does it show up more in emergence, stress tolerance, or final yield?

• Have you ever tested seed lots for nutrient density vs performance?

I’m excited (and committed 😅) to keep pushing on the grain nutrient removal testing, and I’m also planning to test seed this season to pressure-test this theory:

• seed nutrient density

• seed carbohydrate/energy profile (as best as can be measured)

• how that relates to emergence, early vigour, and yield outcomes

Sometimes you figure things out just by talking it through… or you realise you’ve talked yourself into a new problem.

Drop your thoughts and experience below. I genuinely want to learn from what you’re seeing in the field.

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