Using Skip-Row Corn in Rainfed Cropping Systems in the High Plains.

Much of the area in the High Plains was in a winter wheat-fallow rotation because of limited precipitation. With no-till; summer crops such as corn, grain sorghum, sunflower, and proso millet were added to the cropping system making two crops in three years instead of one crop in two years or gaining one additional crop in six cropping seasons. Even with no-till these summer crops sometimes fail or yields are extremely low. Research with skip-row corn began in 2003 after I observed that in a hybrid grain sorghum test in 2002 the only plots that produced grain were in an areas where the plots on  either side failed to produce viable stands because of poor seed quality or unadapted hybrids. Seven years of research has been completed in southwest Nebraska and results and observations have provided us with information to make this cropping system successful. The requirements include wheat crop residue levels of 4,000 plus pounds with good crop residue distribution, good weed management, a herbicide tolerant crop and the equipment being able to plant in heavy crop residues. For areas where the expected crop yield is less than 120 bushel/acre the plant two skip two is recommended while the plant two skip one is recommended for expected yields up to 160 bushels. Some yield will be sacrificed if drought stress is not experienced (when compared to conventional planting), but yields can be improved up to 40 bushel/acre in limited soil water situations.