Definition of Optimal Maize Seeding Rates Based on the Potential Yield of Management Zones

Adriano Adelcino Anselmi, José Paulo Molin, Helizani Couto Bazame and Lucas de Paula Corrêdo
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Adriano Adelcino Anselmi: Crop Science Department, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba 13418-900, Brazil
José Paulo Molin: Department of Biosystems Engineering, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba 13418-900, Brazil
Helizani Couto Bazame: Department of Biosystems Engineering, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba 13418-900, Brazil
Lucas de Paula Corrêdo: Department of Biosystems Engineering, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba 13418-900, Brazil

Agriculture, 2021, vol. 11, issue 10, 1-16

Abstract: The decision on crop population density should be a function of biotic and abiotic field parameters and optimize the site-specific yield potential, which can be a real challenge for farmers. The objective of this study was to investigate the yield of maize hybrids subjected to variable rate seeding (VRS) and in differentiated management zones (MZs). The experiment was conducted between 2013 and 2015 in a commercial field in the Central-West region of Brazil. First, MZ were delineated using the K-means algorithm with layers involving soil electrical conductivity, yield maps from previous years, and elevation. Seven maize hybrids at five seeding rates were evaluated in the context of each MZ and the cause-and-effect relationship with soil attributes was investigated. Optimal yields were obtained for crop population densities between 70,000 plants ha −1 and 80,000 plants ha −1 . Hybrids which perform well under higher densities are key in achieving positive results using VRS. The plant population densities that resulted in maximum yields were obtained for densities at least 27% higher than the recommended seeding rates. The yield variance between MZs can be explained by the variance in soil attributes, while the yield variance within MZs can be explained by the variance in plant population densities. The study shows that on-farm experimentation can be key for obtaining information concerning yield potential. The management by VRS in different MZs is a low-cost technique that can reduce input application costs and optimize yield according to the site-specific potential of the field.

Keywords: seeding density; precision agriculture; spatial variability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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