Effect of Plant Spacing and Emergence Variability on Corn Yield.

Plant spacing and emergence variability in corn (Zea mays L.) are not uncommon in production fields. There are many variables that may cause the effect of inadequate spacing or non-uniform emergence and most studies find that a reduction of yield is usually the result. The objectives of this study was to quantify the effects of plant spacing variability and plant emergence variability on grain yield of corn and how individual corn plants within a row are impacted by variations in emergence timing and spacing. This research was conducted at the Dean Lee Research and Extension Center located near Alexandria, Louisiana throughout the growing season of 2017. Different planters were used in the planting of DeKalb 67-72 including a max emerge planter, cone planter, and precision planter. Standard deviation (SD) of the distances between each plant were measured to compare differences between the three planter types. Also, a planter malfunction was simulated by hand planting seed at different spacings. These spacings consisted of a perfect spacing, intentional skip, double seed placement, ¾ seed misplacement, ½ seed misplacement, and ¼ seed misplacement. To measure plant emergence variability, plants were hand planted at three different planting dates within a row. The three different planting dates included a 0, 2, and 4 leaf delay.