Description

Abstract: In environments with limited rainfall, skip-row confi guration (planting one or a group of rows alternated with rows not planted) under rainfed conditions may increase yield of grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] due to conservation of soil water between widely-spaced crop rows that is not accessed until late in the growing season. A fi eld study was conducted over 10 siteyears in Nebraska from 2005 through 2007 to evaluate eff ects of row confi guration and plant population on grain yield and yield stability. Th ree row confi gurations including all rows planted with a 76-cm row spacing (s0), alternate rows planted (s1), and two rows planted alternated with two rows skipped (s2) were evaluated with two plant populations. At the site with the greatest precipitation of 496 mm skip-row confi guration reduced grain yield by 20 to 30% compared with s0. At low precipitation sites of 319 mm with larger soil water defi cits, grain yield increased 5 and 123% with s1 and s2 compared to s0. Th e s0 treatment outperformed skip-row confi gurations when mean yield was above 4.5 Mg ha