Have you ordered all of your seed corn yet? Some farmers had it booked in August, when the district seed manager said supplies would be low of “the hot new hybrid,” regardless if that new hybrid appropriate for that farm. Other farmers reordered their best yielding hybrid from 2008, hoping for a repeat on 2008 weather and similar yields. And others awaited yield trial data that indicates all of the moles and warts to avoid. If your 2009 seed corn is not yet set in stone, here is how to pick a winner….

Your seed selection today will have a great impact on your revenue a year from now. Agronomist Peter Thomison at Ohio State University says the continuous improvement in genetics has added 0.7% to 2.6% annual increases in corn yield, and he says if you want to compete with your neighbors (increasing profitability and building equity) then new hybrids must be integrated into your operation regularly.

In the Dec. 1 C.O.R.N. newsletter Thomison says pick hybrids that are suited to your farming operation. That includes your soil type, tillage practice, neighborhood pests, and whether you need such things as early vigor, quick drydown, or suitability for silage. All of those issues should be determined before you look at potential candidates for planting, then work through the selection process, step by step.

Step 1. Maturity rating is of foremost importance. How far north or south are you in the Cornbelt, and what is the maximum growing season length that can be reasonably expected? Thomison says your corn should reach the black layer stage 1-2 weeks before the average date for the first killing frost. Look at the growing degree day requirements (which were probably not met in 2008) and determine whether you want field drydown or whether you want to pay for propane. Thomison says it is interesting to note that, “the average yields of hybrids entries in the early maturity test were similar to those in the late maturity test but that the average grain moisture of hybrid entries in the early test was 1.5% to 3.5% lower than those in the full season test.” (at OSU).

Step 2. Yield is the next test, and that does not mean the top yield on your farm this year, but the best yield over a wide range of locations, all of which provided a different performance challenge. Thomison says just because it is a triple or quad stack of anti-pest traits does not equal the best yield, “Just as was the case for conventional (non-traited) hybrids in the past, there is considerable variation in yield potential for hybrids with transgenic traits.” He says the OSU tests discovered that traited hybrids produced both the highest and lowest yields, and several non-GMO hybrids produced parallel yields. But he says where rootworms and corn borers are expected to be a problem; the Bt traits may mitigate the impact of the stress.

Step 3. Standability is next on the check list, and should be an important characteristic if soils are prone to stalk rots, or if the corn will have to dry on its own next fall. 2008 fall weather cannot be anticipated every year, but hybrids that were standing at harvest time in Indiana and Ohio this year will have high ratings for standability. Thomison says hybrids with good standability will included resistance to stalk rots and leaf blights; they will probably be shorter height, and will have a high potential for the stalk to stay green longer.

Step 4. Fungal and disease resistance are next in importance. The ability to resist stalk rots, ear rots, blights, and other foliar diseases will be reported on the yield performance data. Many seed dealers will have local information about past problems in the region that certain hybrids are or are not prone to suffer from. Data for only one or two years may be the most that is available, since hybrids are rotated out of the inventory rather quickly and new hybrids do not have a proven history.

Cornbelt farmers can use the Extension data provided by Land Grant University researchers throughout the region. Links to state information are available here.

Summary:
Your choice of a corn hybrid for 2009 will determine your income, so a methodical approach should be taken to select seed that is most appropriate for your farm and its environmental conditions. Develop a checklist of attributes, then prioritize them by maturity rating, yield, standability, and disease resistance. A great impact on performance will be weather conditions, but this year’s top yielding hybrids may not perform well if 2009 weather is different, which it will likely be.