Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #216956
Title: Skip-row Corn and Sorghum in the West Central Great Plains

Author
item Vigil, Merle
item Nielsen, David
item Poss, David
item Henry, William

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/20/2007
Publication Date: 11/5/2007
Citation: Vigil, M.F., Nielsen, D.C., Poss, D.J., Henry, W.B. 2007. Skip-row Corn and Sorghum in the West Central Great Plains. Agronomy Abstracts. Presented at the International American Society of Agronomy meetings, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of america (ASA/CSSA/SSSA) annual meetings. Nov. 5-9, 2007. New Orleans, LA.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Skip-row planting of corn and sorghum has recently developed as a strategy for mitigating drought in the dryland regions of the western Central Great Plains. Here we compare 16 site-years of no-till feed grain yields when planted skip-row and when planted conventionally in Eastern Colorado and Western Kansas (over half of the locations were on farm replicated trials. The idea is that a wider row arrangement forces a change in the timing of soil-water availability and use, which may mitigate drought stress during the critical flowering period. Three alternative planting schemes were investigated and compared to planting in conventional 0.76m rows. These were plant 2 rows, skip 2 rows (P2S2); plant 1, skip 1 (P1S1); and a plant 2, skip 1 (P2S1). Corn plots were seeded with roundup ready hybrids in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. Sorghum was generally concept-protected seed. Some of the sites included variable plant population in combination with alternative planting arrangements. There exists a trend for the alternative planting arrangements to yield higher than conventionally planted corn and sorghum when yields are less than 4000 kg ha-1 (60-70 bushels/acre). The effect is not always statistically significant. We did not observe either a disadvantage or an advantage if yields potentials are greater than this up to at least 5000 kg ha-1 (80 bushels/acre). An analysis of these data would suggest, that the alternative planting arrangements show potential for greater yields in dryer areas and/or in dry years where yields are less than 4000 kg ha-1 (70 bushel).