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| After looking at U of M doing studies for 20 plus years maybe more, they show improvement of yields on narrow rows vs 30 .
I have done my own studies of 30 vs drill for at least 10 years. 30 inch rows have NEVER won over 10 inch. They have tied a couple times but the 2 to 3 bu average is enough to keep me 10's for now and looking to go 15 inch if i can find a soybean special 30 ft drill. The side by sides I have been doing always includes the No#1 yielding bean in my sales territory.
I am a firm believer that coupled with early planting dates, narrow row beans for the upper midwest will give you higher average yields and some years a 5 bu swing can be common. Better weed control from canopy closure is another plus. White mold should be a non-issue with the newer varieties. Variety selection is more key to white mold control than row width.
Personally I think farmers are making a decision for row width based on seed costs and not yield vs seed cost differences.
Most farmers could save money on seed by first lowering the population of the row width they are using now. Personally I have lowered my 10 inch rows from 200000 years ago to 165000 to 175000 now. I have gone as low as 125000 in an experiment, but felt that combinability from to much branching and lower pod height was losing me yield. | |
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15 inch vs 30 inch beans
