2017
On-Farm, Field Scale Evaluations of Soybean Row Spacings and Seeding Rates
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Contributor/Checkoff:
Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board
Category:
Sustainable Production
Keywords:
Field management Nutrient managementSoil healthTillageYield trials
Parent Project:
This is the first year of this project.
Lead Principal Investigator:
John Orlowski, Cornell University
Co-Principal Investigators:
Project Code:
Contributing Organization (Checkoff):
Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board
$53,348
Institution Funded:
Mississippi State University Delta Research and Extension Center
$53,348
Brief Project Summary:

The focus of this project is to identify the most efficient soybean row spacing and seeding rates. Trials 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, and quantify the effect of furrow irrigation on soybean water status and water use for multiple soybean row spacings.

Key Benefactors:
farmers, agronomists, extension agents

Information And Results
Project Deliverables

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

Final Project Results

Economic analyses indicates that buying a narrow row or twin row planter would be economically advantageous.

The United Soybean Research Retention policy will display final reports with the project once completed but working files will be purged after three years. And financial information after seven years. All pertinent information is in the final report or if you want more information, please contact the project lead at your state soybean organization or principal investigator listed on the project.