Project Title: Study of possibility of changing corn planting pattern (by using narrower rows and eliminating some planting furrows) to increase the yield and to decrease water use in Jiroft and Kahnooj Region, Iran

In order to study the possibility of changing corn planting pattern by using narrower rows and eliminating some furrows، an experiment was conducted in the fields of Agriculture Training Center of Shahid Dehghanpur of Jiroft، Iran in 2001 on the basis of a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. The studied was composed of 18 treatments including inter-row spacing of 35 cm with the densities of 75000، 85000 and 95000 plants. ha-1 (T1، T2 and T3، respectively)، inter-row spacing of 35 cm with the elimination of four unplanted furrows with the densities of 75000، 85000 and 95000 plants. ha-1 (T4، T5 and T6، respectively)، inter-row spacing of 75 cm with the densities of 75000، 85000 and 95000 plants. ha-1 (T7، T8 and T9، respectively)، inter-row spacing of 75 cm with the elimination of one planting row with the density of 75000، the elimination of two unplanted rows with the density of 85000 and the elimination of two unplanted rows with the density of 95000 plants. ha-1 (T10، T11 and T12، respectively)، inter-row spacing of 55 cm with the densities of 75000، 85000 and 95000 plants. ha-1 (T13، T14 and T15، respectively) and inter-row spacing of 55 cm with three unplanted rows and the densities of 75000، 85000 and 95000 plants. ha-1 (T16، T17 and T18، respectively). Measured traits included grain yield، row number per ear، grain number per row، 1000-grain weight، grain ratio to total، plant height، biomass، mean ear weight and harvest index. Results showed that the effect of treatments was significant on grain yield، 1000-grain weight، plant height and biomass at 5% statistical level and on grain number per row، ear length and mean ear weight at 1% probability level. But، their effect was not significant on other traits. The highest grain yields were obtained from treatments T1، T12، T5، T7، T4 and T14 which resulted in the production of 17. 51، 16. 81، 15. 99، 15. 66، 15. 26 and 15. 25 t grains per hectare، respectively. Finally، treatments T12، T4 and T5 can be recommended for studied region given the results of all measurements and the decrease in applied water level (lower area of land was irrigated).