Crop Placement and Row Spacing - Western Fact Sheet

Published: 8 Feb 2011

Crop Placement and Row Spacing Fact Sheet Western Region

A systems approach to row spacing

The depth of seed placement and the distance from the adjacent row both influence crop performance. With the greater uptake of no-till and precision farming the opportunies to vary row spacing by crop and sow on the inter-row have increased. However, increasing row spacing is not always beneficial to yield.

Key messages

  • Increased interest in no-till farming has created a trend for wider crop row spacing.
  • In general, increasing row spacing has no effect on cereals when yields are less than 0.5 tonnes per hectare.
  • In cereal trials with high yield potential (greater than 3.0t/ha), significant yield penalties have been recorded with wider row spacing.
  • The yields of broadleaf and pulse crops vary in their response to wider row spacing.
  • Precision agriculture makes inter-row sowing and fertiliser applications easier at wider row spacing. Weed control can be a major problem.

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Region: West