Orientation is the way that a seed is positioned in the furrow. When planted by a traditional seed tube, the orientation can vary greatly from seed-to-seed, from tip up to tip down or sideways.

Corn kernels always germinate in the same way, with an embryo on one side of the seed. The embryo will imbibe water (aka soil moisture) and begin germinating. When the kernel is positioned tip down in the furrow, the coleoptile will start to germinate upward, moving closer and closer to emerging from the ground.

If, instead, the kernel is placed tip up, the coleoptile will begin growing downward. It will eventually realize this and make a u-turn to start growing upward, but will cause a delay in emergence.

Our in-field research suggests that incorrect orientation of a seed can have several negative agronomic effects, including:

Utilization of more time and energy getting to the soil surface.
Overlapping plant leaves above the ground, resulting in less sunlight capture.