Influence of Row Configuration, Single Versus Twin Rows, On Corn Yield On Two Mississippi River Alluvial Soils.

Corn has become an important crop in various rotation schemes in Louisiana. The recognition of rotational benefits and availability of adapted hybrids have increased interest in corn production. To ensure highest yield potential, cultural practices such as row configuration/row spacing must be defined to maximize the utilization of soil water, nutrient supply, and sunlight. In recent years, planters have been introduced that have the capability of planting twin rows on raised beds. Planting narrow rows on raised beds improves drainage, particularly on clay soils, and permits the use of furrow irrigation. Twin rows, 24-cm spacing, were compared to single rows, 102-cm spacing, from 2004 to 2010 on two Mississippi River alluvial soils. Eleven site/years (six on clay soil and five on silt loam) were summarized across various treatments, i.e. hybrid, seeding rate, and N rate. Corn produced on twin rows had significantly higher yield than single rows in five of the six site/years on clay and in one of five site/years on silt loam. Averaged across site years, yields for twin rows were 5.6% higher than single rows on clay and 1.9% higher than single rows on silt loam. Although there were few significant row configuration by hybrid interactions for yield, there was a trend for hybrids to differ in their responses to row spacing.