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Thumb of Michigan | You're 100% correct- early in the season. At bloom and pod fill, 30's have dramatically more plant available to sunlight until row fill over drilled. The sun can reach the sides and top of plants. Drilled obviously only get sun on the top after canopy. Kind of sort of got the same thing going on as the guys who plant crops in strips- trying to get more sun on the side of corn plants as well as the top. I have longer days than the corn belt in the summer, but with a shorter growing season and cooler nights. Only way I can get corn belt type yields is capture all the sun I can in mid to late summer. I know it sounds a little odd. I'd suggest that you measure drilled beans at canopy as to what the sun can actually hit. Measure 30's the same day, and again at canopy. May suprise you. Don't forget to measure the side of the plant available to capture sunlight.
Many drill for weed control. Proven practice that works everywhere. BUT drilled doesn't always relate to better yield or profitability every where.
We plant the leafiest corn varieties that yield that we can, and always plant bush soys. Again, striving to capture all the sunlight that I can. The original post was about plant architecture, and I guess I still stand by my original comment.
As to row widths over 30's- there are still a large bunch of soys planted in southern states to wider than 30" rows. Point is, drilled aren't the norm in all locales. And its not from bull headedness or lack of trying them. Got to go with the most profitable program. | |
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Soybean row widths and variety
