Planting pattern of maize in row sowing and its effects on yield components

Abstract

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the influence of planting pattern on grains yield and their components in two row spacings and to determine the effect in the increase on number of plants per hill upon other characteristics associated with the harvest. The experiment was established in Passo Fundo, physiographic region of the middle upland of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, during the year of 1991/92. The treatments consisted of two row spacings (0,9 and 0,7 m) and five planting patterns (1,2 and 3 plants per hill and two systems of ununiform distribution in plants) in a density of 65,000 plants/ha. The short-season cultivar Pioneer 3230 was sowed on November 12^th, 1991. The results showed that grain yield and yield components do not change with the alteration in planting pattern and row spacings even with the high yield obtained of 8,929 kg/ha. These results showed that corn is able to compensate spacings left by ununiformity of sowing, since the same plant population has been maintained. In a similar way, the number of ears in each plant, the height of insertion of ears and the percentage of lodged and broken plants were not affected by the increase in number of plants per hill in both row spacings.