The document discusses several soybean trials comparing the yield of 30-inch rows versus 15-inch rows. It finds that 30-inch rows can achieve similar yields to 15-inch rows through proper management techniques like early planting dates, lower seeding populations, fertilizer, fungicide application, and variety selection. The size of the yield gap between row widths depends on location, variety, weather, and soil type, but inputs and management can help close this gap in many cases.

1. Wide Soybean
Rows Return!
Paul Hermans, DuPont Pioneer
Horst Bohner, OMAFRA

2. ​
Average
reported
yield
(bu/acre)
Provincial
average
farm yield
(AFY)
(bu/acre)
​ Corn 178 164
Soybeans 45 44

3. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Row Width in Inches
7 10 14 20 30 40
Bu/Ac
57 56.3 55 53.5
50
42.2
Effect of Row Spacing on
Soybean Yield (Ohio)Established Soybean Dogma
Ohio Data

4. 0
20
40
60
Bu/Ac
58 56
51
48 46
37
37 33
22
Row Spacing (in)
7 15 30 July1
June 1
May 1
Wide Rows Yield Very Poor When
Planted Late (Ohio)

5. Can the Yield Gap be closed
through management?

7. Bu/ac
1) 15” no-till 58.8
2) 30” no-till 52.6
3) 30” strip-till (st) 58.6
4) 30” st + P K (2X2) 62.7
5) 30” st + foliar fungicide 65.0
6) 30” all practices 68.4
7) 15” all practices 66.4
Elora 2015, P = 11 ppm, K = 82 ppm
Closing the Yield Gap

8. Yield
1) 30” Strip-till 56.7
2) 7.5” No-till 57.0
Elora 2015. 200 lbs/ac of 5-20-20 applied with
strip tiller or broadcast in no-till
30” Rows (Strip-till) Vs 7.5”
No-till

11. Bu/ac
1) 15” no-till 56.3
2) 30” no-till 48.1
3) 30” strip-till 50.4
4) 30” st + P K (2X2) 54.3
5) 30” st + fungicide 54.2
6) 30” all practices 54.0
7) 15” all practices 60.8
Bornholm 2015, P = 15 ppm, K = 119 ppm
Closing the Yield Gap

12. Bu/ac
1) 15” no-till (Variety A) 56.3
2) 30” strip-till (A) 50.4
3) 30” all practices (A) 54.0
4) 15” no-till Variety (B) 65.3
5) 30” strip-till (B) 54.8
6) 30” all practices (B) 59.1
7) 15” no-till Variety (C) 69.2
8) 30” strip-till (C) 61.4
9) 30” all practices (C) 62.5
Variety Choice is Important

13. 2015 Soybean
Agronomic Study
Paul Hermans-CCA-ONT
DuPont Pioneer Area Agronomist
paul.hermans@pioneer.com
@phhermans

14. Bean Bragging Rights Horst!

15. Questions I Always
Get Asked
• Differences in yield between 30- and 15-inch
soybeans?
• Does lower populations affect yield”
• Do fungicides pay?
• Should I plant soybeans early or late?

16. Throw This Into The Pot!
• We have had serious white mould issues for
the last three growing seasons

17. Trial Layout Design – 15” vs 30” rows
• Pioneer® brand 91Y01 – Two planting rates of 170K & 120K
seeds/acre
• Two planting dates – Before May 7-10 & May 20-24
• Spray back half with DuPont™ Acapela® fungicide
• Harvest with yield monitor
• Replicated two times

18. Equipment

19. Trial Locations
• All trials in
Eastern Ontario
• Tight window
for planting

20. Site History
Grower Previous Crop Tillage Soil Type
Russell Soy/WW (winterkill) Conventional Loam/Sand
BTLF Corn Lemkin/CulitvatorSpring Clay/Loam
Munroe Beans Conventional Clay/Loam
Parks Rob Corn Minimum Clay Loam
Crawford Beans Conventional Fall Clay Loam
Hill-Spencer
Bruce
Corn Conventional spring Clay Loam
Parks Jim Corn Minimum Clay Loam
Nixon Corn Turbo Till Spring Loam
Daly Corn No-Till Sandy Loam-Loam
Millard Corn No Till Muck-Loam
Hill-Harvey
Bruce
Corn Spring Tillage Clay Loam

21. Row Width
82% Wins for
30” rows
15” row
120 s/a
Planted May 3
30” row
120 s/a
Planted May 3
Photos taken June 24

22. Row Width By Planting Date
• 30” rows demonstrated 1.9 bu/ac advantage
• Early planting also showed yield adv.

23. Yield By Population and Row Width
• Both 30” rows and 120 s/a population
demonstrated a yield advantage

24. Population

25. Planting Date
• Early planting demonstrated a 1.9 bu/ac yield advantage
• Similar results to other Pioneer agronomic trials

27. Planting Date By Population
• 120K s/a demonstrated a yield advantage
• Yield advantage increased with early planting

28. Always Keep Learning!

29. Fungicides
• Application of
DuPont™ Acapela™
provided a 4.5 bu/ac
yield advantage
• High white mould
pressure in 2015

30. Planting Date By Fungicide
• Application of DuPont™ Acapela™ ~4.5 bu/ac yield advantage
• Similar results with both early and late plantings

31. Soybean Variety by Fungicide Trial
• #1 (LHS) – two passes of Acapela
• #2 (RHS) – Two passes of fungicide – 1st Priaxor, 2nd Acapela
• Center strip – Untreated Check
• Fungicide passes applied July 16 & July 28
Photo taken Sept. 17, 2015
Courtesy of P.T. Sullivan Agro Inc.

32. Fungicide By Row Width
• Application of fungicide with similar yield benefit in
both 15” and 30” rows

33. Fungicides By Population
• Yield benefit for both 120K and 170K s/ac
• Larger advantage with 120K s/a

34. Fungicide By Soil Type

35. Site # 2

36. Things That Make You Think
50.0
52.0
54.0
56.0
58.0
60.0
62.0
64.0
66.0
Check Fertilizer Fert Plus Priaxor Fung Only
Yield
Two varieties replicated three times
Different application equipment

38. Take Homes
• Fungicides work when diseases present
• 30-inch rows seem viable option
• Plant early to get biggest bang
• Lower populations - depends
• Fungicide equipment – wondering
• Soil Type Maps- Future Use

39. Special thanks!
Grower Location
Ray Russell Pakenham
Bruce/Harvey Hill Kinburn
Gord/Andrew Ross Carp
Steve Munro Carp
Rob Parks Kanata
John Crawford Richmond
Bruce/Spencer Hill Ottawa
Jim Parks North Gower
Jeremy Nixon North Gower
Jon Daly Kars
Greg Millard Vernon
REIS Equipment- CASE IH
Dealers Carp/Winchester!

40. Info Available

41. Questions
Paul Hermans-CCA-ONT
DuPont Pioneer Area Agronomist
paul.hermans@pioneer.com
@phhermans

42. The size of the yield gap is highly
dependent on the location, variety,
weather, and soil type.
The yield gap can be closed
through management and inputs in
many cases.
Summary

43. Questions
Paul Hermans-CCA-ONT
DuPont Pioneer Area Agronomist
paul.hermans@pioneer.com
@phhermans