RICE CULTURE Influence of Row Spacing and Seeding Rate on Grain Yield of Hybrid Rice

Recent interest by producers, researchers, and industry personnel concerning the use of grain drills utilizing 7-in. versus 10-in. row spacing have raised questions as to the optimal drill-row spacing for rice. With the increase in hybrid rice produced and the associated low seeding rates, questions arose regarding the response of these cultivars to row widths. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of row spacing and seeding rate on grain yield of hybrid rice. The rice hybrid RiceTec ‘XL 723’ was seeded at the Lake Hogue Research Farm during 2006 using 7-in. or 10-in. drill-row spacing or broadcast-seeding methods. Seeding rates of 10, 20, 30, and 40 lb seed/acre were used with each of the seeding methods. Results from 2006 indicated 7-in. row spacing produced approximately 10 bu/acre more grain than either the 10-in. row spacing or the broadcast-seeding methods. Rice-grain yield was similar between the 30 and 40 lb/acre seeding rates, but was significantly lower at the 10 and 20 lb/acre seeding rates.