Evaluating Soybean Row Configurations in the Midsouth

Evaluating Soybean Row Configurations in the Midsouth - 2019

TRIAL OBJECTIVE

• Soybeans are the largest acreage crop in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi and are planted in a wide variety of planting configurations.
• This demo was conducted to evaluate the yield potential of Asgrow® soybean products when planted into different planting systems. It also serves the purpose of evaluating the yield potential of those planting systems.
• Planting systems ranged from precise, GPS-guided planting with a twin row vacuum planter to uncontrolled, broadcast planting with spin spreader type equipment.

• This trial included four Asgrow® soybean products: AG19X8 RR2X, AG32X8 RR2X, AG46X6 RR2X, and AG54X9 RR2X Brands.
• Five different row configurations with two different seeding rates were planted.
  • Single rows planted flat with 30-inch row spacing using standard 30-inch planting units at a seeding rate of 130,000 seeds/acre.
  • Drilled with a typical grain drill on 7.5-inch drill spacing at 160,000 seeds/acre.
  • Single rows planted on beds with 38-inch row spacing using vSet 2 planter units from Precision Planting® at 130,000 seeds/acre.
  • Broadcast planted with a spin spreader at 160,000 seeds/acre by weight.
  • Twin rows planted on 38-inch beds using a 7.5-inch x 38-inch Monosem Inc. planter at 130,000 seeds/acre.
• Plot size was 0.15 acre/plot. An equivalent 6 rows were harvested using commercial harvest equipment to estimate yields. Data was collected using Precision Planting YieldSense™ and the Climate FieldView™ platform, then corrected to 13.5% moisture in the analysis.
• All weed control, insect control, and irrigation inputs were applied per local standards to all plots.
• All plots were desiccated prior to harvest as needed.

UNDERSTANDING THE RESULTS

• Soybean product did not appear to be greatly interactive with row configuration in this trial.
• For this trial, narrow row spacings (30-inch, 38-inch twin, and drilled) appeared to have slightly higher yield than broadcast or single row 38-inch planting systems.
• On average, the broadcast and 38-inch single row spacings were slightly lower yielding than the other treatments. This may be due to reduced stands in the broadcast treatments and reduced light interception in the single row 38-inch plantings.

Key Learnings

• Growers should carefully evaluate the yield potential of each system that they intend to plant on their farms.
• In cases where drainage is needed, systems on rows (aiding in establishing that drainage) should be considered.
• In areas with good internal drainage (high organic matter or sandy soils) and/or established external drainage (field slope) flat-planted systems can offer very good yield potential.
• Consult your local Bayer seed/trait representative to further discuss the suitability of Asgrow® soybean products for your planting system.