|
|
 
|
Yield results evok a double take on twin-row corn (Friday, March 28, 2003 -- CropChoice news) -- AgAnswers
(http://www.aganswers.net) via Agnet:
Twin-row corn production -- a system of planting in narrower rows -- is not
a new concept but it's getting a fresh look from growers interested in an
alternative production technique.
Peter Thomison, an Ohio State University Extension agronomist, said that
interest in twin-row corn is surging and the system may offer some agronomic
and financial benefits that conventional and narrow-row systems don't
provide. Between 90 percent and 95 percent of corn in Ohio is planted using
a conventional 30-inch row system.
"Twin rows got a fresh look when there was a resurgence of narrow rows --
generally defined as row spacings of 22 inches or less -- in the mid-'90s,"
Thomison said. "There was this perception that narrow rows might have a lot
more yield potential than conventional row spacings. People started looking
at twin rows because it offered an alternative to narrow rows without having
to make any major changes in production practices."Research studies suggest
that narrow-row production systems offer slightly higher yields than
conventional systems, although results have been inconsistent.
In a conventional row-spacing system, corn is planted in a single row 30
inches apart from a neighboring row. In a typical narrow-row system, 20
inches separates each cornrow. Twin-row systems fall between conventional
and narrow row, with two rows of corn planted 6-7 inches apart within a
conventional spacing system.
Like narrow rows, twin-row systems may perform better at higher seeding
rates, Thomison said.
"If growers can get fairly consistent yields with twin row, then they could
justify using the system," he said. "As opposed to narrow row, a twin-row
system allows a grower to use existing 30-inch equipment. Such a system
would provide a financial savings for the grower because it doesn't incur
the costs of converting to narrow-row equipment." Ohio State researchers
conducted a three-year study to determine the yield potential of twin-row
corn production. The study, which compared the twin-row system to 30-inch
conventional and 15-inch narrow row configurations, found that the twin-row
system performed as well or better than the other production systems, with a
yield advantage over the conventional system ranging from 4 percent to 15
percent. "We only looked at one corn hybrid," Thomison said. "So there is
still a lot of work that needs to be done with this system to determine how
other hybrids respond to it and how other agronomic characteristics are
impacted." One problem researchers are finding is that with higher seeding
rates comes a higher potential for lodging, a condition whereby cornstalks
fall over, making harvest difficult.
"If a grower has high yields now and is growing high plant populations,
twin-row production may be one approach he can take if he is looking for an
alternate planting option," Thomison said.
Researchers believe the boost in yields from twin-row and narrow-row systems
may be due in part to a more rapid plant canopy development that translates
into higher yield potential. | |
