By DAVE BLOWER JR.
Farm World Editor

WATSEKA, Ill. — DeKalb corn hybrids took the top three spots during the late-season test in Eastern Illinois earlier this month.
DeKalb DKC61-69 scored the highest yield at 256.2 bushels per acre with an estimated gross income of $1,182.90. Not far behind were hybrids DKC64-24 (249.2 bushels) and DKC61-19 (248.7 bushels).

The test was conducted by Farmer’s Independent Research of Seed Technologies (FIRST) on a plot belonging to Linden Wessels near the Iroquois County town of Watseka. According to FIRST manager Eric Beyers, the soil conditions for this test plot were ideal for the weather. The soil is a Gilford and Ridgeville sandy loam with a 1 percent slope, and it is well drained. No soil insecticide was applied.
“The soil there is a black sand, so it’s not you typical soil type,” Beyers said. “If you have a lot of water, and we did this year, it can take quite a bit.”

He added that a sandy soil can produce poorly in dry weather.
Wessels reported to FIRST that he benefitted from an adequate volume of precipitation until mid-June when the area was hit with a seven-inch rain. This rain storm made a mess around the town of Watseka, Beyers said, but the test plot seemed to manage the water successfully.

Then, the first three weeks of August were dry, until the hurricane-related rain hit the area later in the month. Beyers said, in a 10-day period in September, Hurricane Gustav dropped four inches of rain and Hurricane Ike another six inches. “They had more rain late with the hurricanes, and the soil handled that well, too,” he explained.

Beyers said it is very unusual for the same company to earn the top three spots at any test plot. But, “(DeKalb has) been having a good year this year,” he added.

Rounding out the top 10 in the late-season test were: Stone 7T765VT3, 247.4 bushels per acre; Kruger K-6411VT3, 247.2 bushels; Pfister 2775VTRR2, 247.1; LG Seeds LG2620VT3, 242.8; Wyffels W7381, 241.8; iCorn.com 110.RWBR7, 241.0; and Crows 5304VT3, 240.7.

Early-season test

Fielders Choice hybrid NG6723 earned the highest yield during the early-season test at the Wessels Farm in Watseka earlier this month.

The Fielders Choice hybrid brought in 261.2 bushels per acre, which was even higher than the late-season test. The estimated gross income on the hybrid was $1,180.60.

Beyers said it was not typical for the early-season test hybrid to score higher than the late-season test. But, he added that nothing this year was typical.

“It was not a typical growing season,” he said.
“It was so bizarre and erratic.”

He said it took two months – from April 25 to June 21 – for him to get through the planting season at all of the various seed test plots. Beyers manages test plots throughout Central and Southern Illinois.

Other top scorers in the early-season test were Kruger K-6208VT3, 258.0 bushels per acre; NuTech Seed 3T-310VT3, 254.9; Campbell 591-76VT3, 251.5; and G2 Genetics 1X-911, 251.2.

Beyers said many hybrids had plants that were 12-feet tall, and the ears were at the 6-7 foot level.

Although it was creating some difficulty during harvest, he said, healthier plants are taller.