One crop management issue related to subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) is the impact of crop row placement on crop performance, irrigation water use efficiency, and yield. A study published in 2018 on corn and grain sorghum in the Southern Great Plains suggests that while planting accuracy is important to maintaining equal yields in neighboring crop rows, overall yields are affected more by irrigation and climatic conditions and not by row offsets with respect to SDI tape. This study suggests that SDI can be successful regardless of access to high precision guidance systems.
Publication: Murley, C.B., S. Sharma, J.G. Warren, D. B. Arnall, and W. R. Raun (2018). Yield response of corn and grain sorghum to row offsets on subsurface drip laterals. Agricultural Water Management. 208: 357-362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2018.06.038