By DAVE BLOWER JR.
Farm World Editor

ROSSVILLE, Ind. — Soybean yields were in the 60-bushel per acre range for a recent hybrid test in north-central Illinois.

The average yield was 61.2 bu. per acre at the Rossville, Ill. site. The average moisture content was 13.4 percent, and the estimated gross income per acre came in at $612.50. There were 60 varieties tested at this location.

The test was conducted by Farmer’s Independent Research of Seed Technologies (F.I.R.S.T.) earlier this harvest season on the Vermillion County, Ill. farm of Kevin Weinard.

Trisler Seed hybrid 31Z0R2 won this test site with an average yield of 68.3 bu. per acre. This variety had a moisture content of 13.7 percent and an estimated gross income per acre of $682.80.

The soil on Weinard’s farm is a Milford silty clay loam. The field was non-irrigated and moderately drained. The pest management used at the site included Roundup, PowerMax and Resource. The previous crop on this field was corn treated with Volley ATZ and Impact.

F.I.R.S.T. manager Eric Beyers planted the field on May 24 at a rate of 140,000 seeds per acre.

“This field was planted in twin rows spaced eight inches apart on 30-inch centers,” Beyers explained. “The twin eight-inch planted sites have very uniformly spaced seeds resulting in excellent spacing for healthy harvestable plants.”

He harvested approximately 122,000 plants per acre on Oct. 20.
Other top finishers at this trial include: Diener 3262CR, 66.6 bu. per acre, 12.8 percent moisture content; Kruger K2-3002, 65.8 bu. per acre, 13.1 percent moisture content; and G2 Genetics 6311, 65.2 bu. per acre, 13.6 percent moisture content.

DuQuoin, Ill. trial

Kruger Seed took the top three positions at a F.I.R.S.T. soybean hybrid test in DuQuoin, Ill. earlier this month. Less than 1.4 bu. per acre separated the three seed varieties.

Kruger K2X44A9 won the trial with an average yield of 53.4 bu. per acre. This hybrid had a moisture content of 8.7 percent, and its estimated gross income per acre was $534. Tied for second at 52 bu. per acre were Kruger K2X46A9 and Kruger K2X45A9.

The average yield for the 42 varieties tested at the Perry County, Ill. farm of Don Polczynski was 47 bu. per acre. This is more than 14 bu. per acre less than the test in Rossville, Ill. The average moisture content, however, was only 8.6 percent.

The soil on Polczynski’s farm is a Cisne clay loam. The field is non-irrigated, and it is moderately poor drained. Gramoxone and Roundup were used for pest management. The previous crop was corn treated with Keystone.

Delayed by wet weather, Beyers planted the field on June 24 at a rate of 150,000 seeds per acre. He was able to harvest approximately 122,000 plants per acre on Nov. 5. “This plot’s soybean plants were very short in height,” Beyers reported. “Most were only 18-24 inches tall. The harvested seed quality was excellent, but seed size varied dramatically. The site had very uniform stands.”

Two other varieties exceeded 50 bu. per acre at this trial. FS Seeds A09-47 earned 51.3 bu. per acre. Asgrow AG4303 was fifth at 50.9 bu. per acre.

Both the Rossville, Ill. and DuQuoin, Ill. reports are printed on page 15.

A list of all the hybrids in this test is available at www.firstseedtests.com