By Sandi Alswager Karstens

IANR News Service

The second year of skip-row planting field trials for dryland corn continued to show positive results for this water-rationing strategy, a University of Nebraska cropping systems specialist said.

Skip-row planting is a strategy for dryland and limited irrigation situations, mainly in western Nebraska, that maximizes water available to corn at critical times.

It can produce 40- to 60-bushel an acre corn in situations when conventionally planted corn yields little or nothing, said Bob Klein, cropping systems specialist at the university's West Central Research and Extension Center here. Klein and Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources colleagues developed and are testing this system.

Skip-row planting involves leaving some rows unplanted, such as planting two rows then skipping two rows or planting two rows then skipping one. In this system, the remaining rows are planted more densely than normal so the overall plant population in a field is similar to a conventionally planted field. This strategy allows corn roots to use the soil moisture available between the wider spaced rows at critical growing times later in the season.

Conventionally planted corn uses available moisture too early in the growing season, Klein said. With skip-row planting, roots are constantly looking for water and getting it as they grow longer and tap unused moisture later in the season.

"It's a rationing system," Klein said. The advent of glyphosate-resistant corn made this system possible, Klein said.

This method works best for farmers in a three-year, ecofallow rotation of Wheat and glyphosate-resistant corn. Ecofallow involves controlling weeds with herbicides after Wheat harvest and then no-till planting glyphosate-resistant corn the following year. Weed control is critical because of the unplanted rows and the need to keep weeds from stealing precious water.

"Since 1999, many farmers in western Nebraska haven't been able to get corn to work in this (ecofallow) system," Klein said, because of continued drought. "With skip-row planting, we can increase the chances of being successful with corn in the rotation."

Ray and Tammy Woten, who farm near Potter, tried the skip-row corn system this year.

"We got 40 bushels per acre where nobody probably had any corn," Tammy Woten said. "In the past, we haven't been able to raise any corn at all and this made 41 bushels. For us, it is extremely successful."

Woten said it also reduced their expenses since fewer rows of corn are planted and less fertilizer is used.

"I'm glad they came up with this because we were able to raise some corn," she said. "It was a fun year."

This method works well mainly in western Nebraska where corn yields are expected to be less than 100 bushels per acre, Klein said. Producers also may want to try skip-row when they are not sure how much or when they will receive water or if they are extremely limited in the amount of water they can apply.

The 2004 IANR field trials were conducted across Nebraska at the West Central Research and Extension Center, the High Plains Agricultural Laboratory at Sidney, the Panhandle Research and Extension Center at Scottsbluff, the South Central Agricultural Laboratory near Clay Center, the Haskell Agricultural Laboratory at Concord and the Havelock Farm in Lincoln, as well as near Hayes Center and Tribune, Kan. and Akron, Colo.

Several farmers also tried the system near Madrid, Ogallala and Potter, Neb., and Matheson and Wray, Colo.

Researchers compared conventionally planted and skip-row planted yields.

Several plots in 2004 had above-average precipitation, including the plot at North Platte, where rainfall was 37 percent above average in June and July and average in August, Klein said.

Skip-row yields at North Platte ranged from 111 to 116 bushels per acre, Klein said. The conventional dryland cornfield yielded at 109 bushels per acre.

"This proves that we don't give up any yields if we have above or average precipitation. It showed the yields in the skip-row were comparable to the conventionally planted corn."

Klein said the university will conduct trials again this year "Skip-row provides some insurance. If precipitation runs short, skip-row still yields 40 to 60 bushes per acre," he said. "It protects the low yields--40 to 60 bushels per acre--in years when we don't have as much precipitation."

Klein said some people in eastern Nebraska have expressed interest in skip-row, but it works best in ecofallow systems that are used in western Nebraska.

Klein said researchers also will continue to gather this information to work with crop insurance companies about insuring the field using the skip-row system.

"Some crop insurance companies will only insure half a field even though the same seeding population is planted compared to a traditionally planted field," he said. "Right now, I can't recommend farmers to do this system until they can get crop insurance."

Woten said their fields were eligible for crop insurance.

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SKIP-ROW--This skip-row planted field near Madrid, Neb., uses the plant-two, skip-one row approach. Skip-row planting is a strategy for dryland and limited irrigation situations, mainly in western Nebraska, that maximizes water available to corn at critical times. University of Nebraska field trials show it can produce 40- to 60-bushel an acre corn when conventionally planted corn yields little or nothing. (Photo courtesy of Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.)

Date: 1/27/05

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