M. Wayne Ebelhar, Mississippi State University, Delta Research & Extension Center, P. O. Box 197, Stoneville, MS 38776-0197 and Davis R. Clark, Delta Research and Extension Center, Mississippi State University, P. O. Box 197, Stoneville, MS 38776-0197.
Twin-row production systems are being adopted for many row crops in the Mississippi Delta. Producers have invested in equipment capable of planting row crops in dual rows (20-25 cm apart) on the rolled tops of raised beds spaced at 96 to 102 cm. A multiple-year research project was established to evaluate the interaction of nitrogen (N) rates (202, 246, and 291 kg N ha-1) and five seeding rates (60,000 to 100,000 seeds ha-1) for twin-row corn production on 96-cm beds. The study was planted in 2005, 2006, and 2007 on Bosket very fine sandy loam, following cotton, with a MonosemJ twin-row vacuum planter. Seeding rates were determined prior to establishment with planting seed calibration tables supplied by the manufacturer. Stand counts made following planting each year indicated that final stands were equal to or greater than expected. High winds and rainfall from Hurricane Katrina flattened fields throughout the area in 2005 and no yields could be taken. The 2006 and 2007 growing seasons coupled with irrigation produced some of the highest yields reported in the Midsouth. There was a significant response to increasing N rates and increasing seeding rates in both 2006 and 2007. Grain yields in 2006 averaged 15.60, 15.77, and 15.97 Mg ha-1 for the increasing N rates when adjusted to 15.5 % moisture and averaged across seeding rates. In 2007, the yields were 15.35, 15.45, and 15.60 Mg ha-1 for the increasing N rates. Grain yields in 2006 ranged from 13.93 to 17.05 Mg ha-1 for increasing seeding rates and 14.33 to 16.26 Mg ha-1 in 2007. Each increase in seeding rate resulted in a subsequent significant increase in grain yield both years. While the response to increasing N rates was significant for both years, the cost of the fertilizer N could not be recovered.