Do higher temperatures influence how yields respond to increasing planting density?

This study explores how higher temperatures influence corn yield response to planting density. Using 1990–2010 field trial data from Wisconsin and econometric models with a variety of specifications, we find that higher temperatures reduce the yield benefits of increasing planting density. However, these adverse high-temperature effects are smaller for genetically modified corn varieties, especially those with rootworm-resistant traits. Consistent with previous studies, these results support the notion that varietal improvements through genetic modification may have paved the way for higher planting densities in US corn production. Moreover, our results imply that expected in-season temperatures are important considerations when making planting density decisions.

[1]  M. Auffhammer,et al.  Rice yields in tropical/subtropical Asia exhibit large but opposing sensitivities to minimum and maximum temperatures , 2010, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[2]  W. Shier,et al.  Effect of Planting Density, Irrigation Regimes, and Maize Hybrids with Varying Ear Size on Yield, and Aflatoxin and Fumonisin Contamination Levels , 2012 .

[3]  Douglas L. Miller,et al.  A Practitioner’s Guide to Cluster-Robust Inference , 2015, The Journal of Human Resources.

[4]  U. R. Sangakkara,et al.  Plant populations and yields of rainfed maize (Zea mays L) grown in wet and dry seasons of the tropics , 2004 .

[5]  W. Grichar,et al.  Agronomic Response of Corn (Zea maysL.) Hybrids to Plant Populations , 2019, International Journal of Agronomy.

[6]  J. Chavas,et al.  The Effects of GM Technology on Maize Yield , 2014 .

[7]  S. Koutroubas,et al.  A review of maize hybrids' dependence on high plant populations and its implications for crop yield stability , 2004 .

[8]  W. Schlenker,et al.  Nonlinear temperature effects indicate severe damages to U.S. crop yields under climate change , 2009, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[9]  K. Cassman,et al.  Rice yields decline with higher night temperature from global warming. , 2004, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[10]  M. Trnka,et al.  Influence of climatic factors on the low yields of spring barley and winter wheat in Southern Moravia (Czech Republic) during the 1961–2007 period , 2014, Theoretical and Applied Climatology.

[11]  Jesse B. Tack,et al.  Effect of warming temperatures on US wheat yields , 2015, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[12]  Yared Assefa,et al.  Yield Responses to Planting Density for US Modern Corn Hybrids: A Synthesis-Analysis , 2016 .

[13]  D. Mcwilliams,et al.  Corn Growth and Management Quick Guide , 1999 .

[14]  R. Nielsen.  Influence of Hybrids and Plant Density on Grain Yield and Stalk Breakage in Corn Grown in 15‐Inch Row Spacing , 1988 .

[15]  R. C. Muchow,et al.  Temperature and solar radiation effects on potential maize yield across locations. , 1990 .

[16]  Kurt D. Thelen,et al.  Row width and plant density effects on corn grain production in the northern Corn Belt , 2002 .

[17]  Robert H. Brown,et al.  Influence of Row Width and Plant Population on Yield of two Varieties of Corn (Zea mays L.) 1 , 1970 .

[18]  W. Averbeke,et al.  Maize response to plant population and soil water supply: I. Yield of grain and total above-ground biomass , 1992 .

[19]  J. Basinski,et al.  Effect of plant populations and row spacings on early and late maize hybrids in the Ord Valley , 1975 .

[20]  Jeffrey A. Coulter,et al.  Agronomic Responses of Corn to Planting Date and Plant Density , 2011 .

[21]  S. Riha,et al.  Yield response to climate, management, and genotype: a large-scale observational analysis to identify climate-adaptive crop management practices in high-input maize systems , 2018, Environmental Research Letters.

[22]  Susan Athey,et al.  When Should You Adjust Standard Errors for Clustering? , 2017, The Quarterly Journal of Economics.

[23]  C. Field,et al.  Global scale climate–crop yield relationships and the impacts of recent warming , 2007, Environmental Research Letters.

[24]  D. Lobell,et al.  Climate Trends and Global Crop Production Since 1980 , 2011, Science.

[25]  J. H. Ford,et al.  Corn Response to Row Width and Plant Population in the Northern Corn Belt , 1997 .

[26]  J. Lauer,et al.  Optimum Plant Population of Bt and Non-Bt Corn in Wisconsin , 2006 .

[27]  R. Chambers,et al.  Growing climatic sensitivity of U.S. agriculture linked to technological change and regional specialization , 2018, Science Advances.

[28]  Y. Chauhan,et al.  Risks of yield loss due to variation in optimum density for different maize genotypes under variable environmental conditions , 2017 .

[29]  M. Tollenaar,et al.  Yield potential, yield stability and stress tolerance in maize , 2002 .

[30]  D. Hennessy,et al.  The Realized Yield Effect of Genetically Engineered Crops: U.S. Maize and Soybean , 2013 .

[31]  Guanming Shi,et al.  Commercialized transgenic traits, maize productivity and yield risk , 2013, Nature Biotechnology.

[32]  D. Lobell,et al.  Robust negative impacts of climate change on African agriculture , 2010, Environmental Research Letters.

[33]  J. Chavas,et al.  An Economic Analysis of Risk, Management, and Agricultural Technology , 2015 .

[34]  Y. Assefa,et al.  Analysis of Long Term Study Indicates Both Agronomic Optimal Plant Density and Increase Maize Yield per Plant Contributed to Yield Gain , 2018, Scientific Reports.

[35]  Jeffrey A. Coulter,et al.  Response of Bt and Near-Isoline Corn Hybrids to Plant Density , 2010 .

[36]  D. Brown.  CORN YIELD RESPONSE TO IRRIGATION, PLANT POPULATION AND NITROGEN IN A COOL, HUMID CLIMATE , 1986 .

[37]  P. Thomison,et al.  Drought‐tolerant corn hybrid and relative maturity yield response to plant population and planting date , 2016 .

[38]  W. Russell,et al.  Response to Plant Densities and Nitrogen Levels for Four Maize Cultivars from Different Eras of Breeding 1 , 1987 .

[39]  Luis Sangoi,et al.  UNDERSTANDING PLANT DENSITY EFFECTS ON MAIZE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT: AN IMPORTANT ISSUE TO MAXIMIZE GRAIN YIELD , 2001 .

[40]  D. Lobell,et al.  Greater Sensitivity to Drought Accompanies Maize Yield Increase in the U.S. Midwest , 2014, Science.

[41]  D. Duvick.  The Contribution of Breeding to Yield Advances in maize (Zea mays L.) , 2005 .

[42]  C. Kucharik,et al.  Impacts of recent climate change on Wisconsin corn and soybean yield trends , 2008 .

[43]  M. Knežević,et al.  Performance of prolific and nonprolific maize hybrids under reduced-input and high-input cropping systems , 2004 .

[44]  Has Technology Increased Agricultural Yield Risk? Evidence from the Crop Insurance Biotech Endorsement , 2020 .

[45]  W. J. Cox.  Whole-plant physiological and yield responses of maize to plant density , 1996 .

[46]  Emerson D. Nafziger,et al.  Corn planting date and plant population , 1994 .