Air drill row spacing and yield results

**dfarms11** · Nov 20, 2008, 00:58

ok, now are we talking shank spacing or row space? I have 12 in shank spacing but use 5 in paired row openers. So thats 7 and 5 in spacing, or does that not count?

**fjlip** · Nov 20, 2008, 23:50

Since my post I received a reply as how 5" & 6"spaces were achieved.They used a 3" opener on a 7" shank spacing, so about 5" between a 2" spread row. The 6" was a CIH air drill with 3/4" openers converted to 6" shank spacing and the 12" blocked every second row on that unit. The 10" was a Bourgault 5710 also with 3/4" openers.
Link to other test details is
http://www.hudyesoils.com/images/E0067601/2008rowspacing.pdf

What you have sounds near ideal at 5" and 7". How are those packed? What seed rate would you use for wheat? How is your N applied?

**dfarms11** · Nov 22, 2008, 09:46

We use generally 120-135 lbs of seed with wheat. I like to keep the rate up to increase competition. We have one rubber packer per shank. We use stealth openers so our ammonia goes straight down the center of the shank.

**poorboy** · Nov 23, 2008, 12:46

I am sure that row spacing and crop yield depends greatly on what the limiting factor to yield is in the area you farm at.

When you are growing 90 bus of wheat, then rainfall is not your limiting factor, so interplant competition, sunlight capture, fertility, etc are very important, and narrow row spacing makes sense.

If early frosts are your problem, then narrow row spacing, should help with maturity issues as well.

However, if you farm where I do and rainfall is the limiting factor to yield in 9 out of 10 years, then I am not so sure that row spacing makes all that much difference. I have tried lots of different variables, such as row spacing, seed rate, seed angle to the sun, low/high fertility, etc. and if you only get 6" of rain in the growing season, all the tests seem to yield close the same. Often the wider row spacing and low disturbance at seeding, saved more moisture and yielded the highest here.

**dfarms11** · Nov 23, 2008, 18:48

yes, same here, I could only dream of 90 bu wheat!

**Ron** · Nov 23, 2008, 21:47

38 acre field, 3917 bushels PR5700 wheat #2CPS over a scale, 12" spacing 1.5" spread, direct seeded. High fertility, fungicide, foliars. About 2 acres were leaning badly but nothing lodged, the crop was so thick it looked like you could walk on it when straight cutting late in the season.
Would this have yielding another 15% with narrow row spacing?
I have been watching the field of dreams and other row spacing trials for a few years and am not convinced yet. There are trade offs with straw management and timeliness.
Next year I am going to seed 80ac myself and have a neighbor seed the other 80ac with 12" spacing 6" spread and then I will know for sure.

**Ron** · Nov 23, 2008, 21:59

sorry, 1/2 field was direct seeded the other had tillage to incorporate manure and level ruts. the manured section and rut leveled sections were much thicker than the direct seeded but no yield monitor and didnt run combine myself so whole field results, I am guessing the manure/tillage section was 10 bushels higher.

**wmoebis** · Nov 26, 2008, 05:26

Ron
What was the Chem input diff? You probably didn't pre burn the tilled. How about in crop?

**Ron** · Nov 26, 2008, 10:05

The entire field was treated the same, burnoff with prepass, incrop with wild oat/broadleaf/foliar fert (Omex FP-3), folicur/copper at flag.
I have read that cereals are more sensitive to row spacing and canola works better with wider rows (less moisture in canopy for disease). I just dont want to give up my trash clearance untill I know it will give me a substantial boost and I cant see increasing my yields substantially from where they are now?

Air drill row spacing and yield results