Database Research Summaries2017 On-Farm, Field Scale Evaluations of Soybean Row Spacings and Seeding Rates
Research Focus
The focus of this project is to identify the most efficient soybean row spacing and seeding rates.
Objectives
- Determine the interaction of row spacing and seeding rate for furrow-irrigated soybean production on soybean yield.
- Quantify the effects of multiple row spacing and seeding rate combinations on soybean physiological characteristics such as plant stands, light interception, and yield components.
- Quantify the effect of furrow irrigation on soybean water status and water use for multiple soybean row spacings.
Results
- The narrow rows resulted in greater yield than the wide rows. In two of the three site years, the twin rows also yielded greater than the wide rows.
- Yield increases ranged from 9-13%. The yield increase appears to be the direct result of increased light interception throughout the growing season for both the narrow and twin rows.
- Yield from the wide rows at Hollandale was about 62 bu/acre, whereas yield from the twin and narrow rows was about 69 and 70 bu/acre.
- At Stoneville, wide row yields were about 75 and 66 bu/acre in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Yields from the narrow rows at Stoneville were about 86 and 73 bu/acre.
Importance
- This information allows the farmer to maximize their field space and increase yield.
- Economic analyses indicates that buying a narrow row or twin row planter would be economically advantageous.
For more information about this research project, please visit the National Soybean Checkoff Research Database.
Funded in part by the soybean checkoff.
