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| An ISU extension bulletin from the 1970s titled "Profitable Corn Production" proclaimed that 30" rows consistently outproduced 38" rows.
Around here, finding a wide row corn head for harvest is getting to be difficult.
I drilled 35" rows one year, probably about 21 years ago. It did produce even though it wasn't properly fertilized and the seed wasn't put in the ground well by the old drill compared to that of a planter.
Arguments for wide rows would include more sunlight to the lower leaves to make each plant more productive.
Arguments for narrower rows include more rapid and better canopying to reduce weed pressure, and as corn populations are increased a greater plant spacing in the row.
I have learned to take ALL corn extension bulletins and graduate research with a bucket of salt because their experiments often use one or two corn unnamed varieties and say the result applies to all corn and that I know is wrong. Different corn numbers react differently to these factors and to changes in nutrition.
Today if I was to plant wide rows and have it custom combined I'd probably have to accept huge loses from the corn head being 30", you might need a custom combiner to finish up if your's breaks.
Gerald J. | |
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36" vs 30" rows
