News

Consider narrow rows when planting wheat

A cropping systems agronomist encourages farmers to plant winter wheat in narrow rows to gain yield.

Michigan State University’s Manni Singh tells Brownfield, “We have a lot of data showing that going to rows narrower than 7.5 inches in winter wheat, (to) 5-inch row spacings, does pay off.”

“It can give you five to 10 extra bushels,” he says.

He says variety trials this year also found plant structure makes a difference with the narrower rows.

“We have these varieties that have more of these erect leaf angles, just like what we have done in the corn world, so there is some benefit there as well that we have seen,” he shares.

Signh points to agronomy principles like lower seeding rates, timely planting, and choosing optimal varieties as ways farmers can manage low crop prices without additional costs.

MSU has recently released this year’s 2025 Wheat Performance Trial data, which tested 100 different varieties across the state.

Singh says results from this year’s wheat planting research will be published in the fall.