In Texas Panhandle close to Clovis NM back in the 1950's we started using 14-26 inch spacing of grain sorghum on 40" beds for furrow irrigation. Then in the 1960's we grew corn on 18-22" and harvested with a JD 105 and a JD 820 row head. That was when 200 bu/ac corn became possible over many fields. We used Pioneer 3369A because of its upright leaves. Back then shatter cane weed control was difficult so we went to 30" to cultivating but lost some yield. We also placed the fertilizer (82% ammonia and 10-34) in a 20" band before pre-irrigation then planting on the side of the bed with Acra-plant openers. I learned much about plant physiology and soil science at OPSU in the 1960's.
Yep we always did 40's down in S. TX because were were mostly cotton and that's what we were set up for, and narrow row pickers didn't even start to appear until the 90's... I know I was always interested in narrow row grain sorghum since we grew a lot of sorghum as a rotational crop and even though we didn't see narrow row sorghum in in our area (narrower than 30's, as a lot of guys that covered enough acres actually bought a second planter and hipper or Lehman plow or whatever on 30's and switched to a 30 inch corn head if they were rotating primarily corn with cotton, and of course could plant sorghum in 30's with the same equipment and harvest with a platform head. I've thought instinctively that most crops would respond positively to narrower rows but the main question becomes "how much narrower" and finding the "sweet spot" in population, genetics or variety/hybrid, and fertility and matching all that to the given productivity levels of the soil and available moisture from irrigation or in most cases in our part of the world (and many others for that matter) rainfall (since we don't irrigate.. why we farm on beds, to leave a middle to get rid of the water and keep the crop from drowning out in super-wet weather). I've looked with great interest over the years in different parts of the country at how they grow sorghum and I've seen some beautiful field of sorghum in 20 inch rows, 15's, 10's, and 7.5" rows... (I've even parked and walked into a few to see it close up) and it DEFINITELY comes down 1) having the right weather/soil, 2) having adequate moisture, 3) putting the right amount of management/inputs into the crop, and 4) having the proper variety. It's DEFINITELY a system's approach and synergism is the key. Thing is, if you're going to "push things" with narrow rows, you definitely have to be on top of your game and manage it all right, and you BETTER have the moisture... I know a few years back we drove through rural Arkansas going to Indiana and we saw a lot of different sorghum fields in a fairly short amount of time across a fairly small region, some planted in 30's, some in narrower rows 15-20's, and some drilled, with varying levels of success... Now whether that came down to moisture issues is hard to say, there's SO many factors that come into play, and all interact either positively or negatively with one another, and SO many different management styles. Then you throw in the vagaries of rainfall patterns in a dry year where a few miles up the road either way can make the difference if they got a storm at the right time and picked up that extra inch or two of rain just when they needed it and made a HUGE difference... Some fields in narrow or UNR sorghum looked great, while others were completely blank with no heads, or parts of the field were blank and you could see where the soil type changed or down the hill where the soil was deeper and more moisture was available that the blank part of the field started to peep out grain heads down in the whorl as it moved down the hill and the bottom of the valley would just be fully headed and out a great looking crop. SO there's a lot of factors at play and you really have to compare apples to apples, but I think as a general rule what he's saying is overall correct, BUT one has to match the carrying capacity of the soil and available water (whether from irrigation or rainfall patterns) to the crop and find that "sweet spot" for each individual situation, and what works the *MOST* of the time year-in-year-out on average considering the weather. That, and just how much you want to manage or can manage the crop and how much inputs you can pour into it, or what is feasible to retool as needed. Later! OL J R :)
In Texas Panhandle close to Clovis NM back in the 1950's we started using 14-26 inch spacing of grain sorghum on 40" beds for furrow irrigation. Then in the 1960's we grew corn on 18-22" and harvested with a JD 105 and a JD 820 row head. That was when 200 bu/ac corn became possible over many fields. We used Pioneer 3369A because of its upright leaves. Back then shatter cane weed control was difficult so we went to 30" to cultivating but lost some yield. We also placed the fertilizer (82% ammonia and 10-34) in a 20" band before pre-irrigation then planting on the side of the bed with Acra-plant openers. I learned much about plant physiology and soil science at OPSU in the 1960's.
Yep we always did 40's down in S. TX because were were mostly cotton and that's what we were set up for, and narrow row pickers didn't even start to appear until the 90's... I know I was always interested in narrow row grain sorghum since we grew a lot of sorghum as a rotational crop and even though we didn't see narrow row sorghum in in our area (narrower than 30's, as a lot of guys that covered enough acres actually bought a second planter and hipper or Lehman plow or whatever on 30's and switched to a 30 inch corn head if they were rotating primarily corn with cotton, and of course could plant sorghum in 30's with the same equipment and harvest with a platform head. I've thought instinctively that most crops would respond positively to narrower rows but the main question becomes "how much narrower" and finding the "sweet spot" in population, genetics or variety/hybrid, and fertility and matching all that to the given productivity levels of the soil and available moisture from irrigation or in most cases in our part of the world (and many others for that matter) rainfall (since we don't irrigate.. why we farm on beds, to leave a middle to get rid of the water and keep the crop from drowning out in super-wet weather). I've looked with great interest over the years in different parts of the country at how they grow sorghum and I've seen some beautiful field of sorghum in 20 inch rows, 15's, 10's, and 7.5" rows... (I've even parked and walked into a few to see it close up) and it DEFINITELY comes down 1) having the right weather/soil, 2) having adequate moisture, 3) putting the right amount of management/inputs into the crop, and 4) having the proper variety. It's DEFINITELY a system's approach and synergism is the key. Thing is, if you're going to "push things" with narrow rows, you definitely have to be on top of your game and manage it all right, and you BETTER have the moisture... I know a few years back we drove through rural Arkansas going to Indiana and we saw a lot of different sorghum fields in a fairly short amount of time across a fairly small region, some planted in 30's, some in narrower rows 15-20's, and some drilled, with varying levels of success... Now whether that came down to moisture issues is hard to say, there's SO many factors that come into play, and all interact either positively or negatively with one another, and SO many different management styles. Then you throw in the vagaries of rainfall patterns in a dry year where a few miles up the road either way can make the difference if they got a storm at the right time and picked up that extra inch or two of rain just when they needed it and made a HUGE difference... Some fields in narrow or UNR sorghum looked great, while others were completely blank with no heads, or parts of the field were blank and you could see where the soil type changed or down the hill where the soil was deeper and more moisture was available that the blank part of the field started to peep out grain heads down in the whorl as it moved down the hill and the bottom of the valley would just be fully headed and out a great looking crop. SO there's a lot of factors at play and you really have to compare apples to apples, but I think as a general rule what he's saying is overall correct, BUT one has to match the carrying capacity of the soil and available water (whether from irrigation or rainfall patterns) to the crop and find that "sweet spot" for each individual situation, and what works the *MOST* of the time year-in-year-out on average considering the weather. That, and just how much you want to manage or can manage the crop and how much inputs you can pour into it, or what is feasible to retool as needed.
Later! OL J R :)
I love this guy.