CALEDONIA, Mich. — Less than ideal growing conditions impacted all-season corn tests by Farmer’s Independent Research of Seed Technologies (FIRST) on two Michigan farms in neighboring counties.
In a test on Wayne Rodgers’ Kent County farm, Renk RK596SSTX came in on top with a yield of 235.1 bushels per acre and a gross per-acre income of $744, followed by Integra 5151GSSRIB, which yielded 235 bushels and $732.
Rounding out the top five were NuTech/G2 Gen 5F-200 at 221.5 bushels and $697 per acre, Rupp variety xr8414 at 220 bushels and $696 and Seed Consultants SCS 1015YHR at 210.8 bushels and $686 gross income.
The test average for the top 30 of 45 varieties was 195.3 bushels and $609 per acre. The average moisture was 30.4 percent and the average lodging was 24 percent.
The field was planted on June 1 at a rate of 33,500 seeds per acre and harvested on Dec. 3 with a stand of 31,600 plants per acre. Corn was the previous crop on the non-irrigated, well-drained clay loam soil. The soil was moderate to high in both phosphorus and potassium content. Halex GT, Roundup and Force were used for pest management.
According to FIRST Site Manager Rich Schleuning, the crop was damaged by hail early in the growing season, and it experienced some slug feeding on the plants during this same time frame. At harvest, lodging for the top five varieties ranged from 12-35 percent.
"We had a very tough fall for harvest this year," Schleuning reported. "Wet weather conditions and early-season snow interrupted the harvest process. Lodging scores are high due to a 40-mph wind ahead of harvest."
In an all-season test on Tony Igl’s farm near Aurelius, in neighboring Ingham County, Steyer topped the test results, followed by NuTech/G2 Gen. Steyer 9801 ranked first, yielding 211.8 bushels per acre and grossing $698 per acre. NuTech/G2 Gen 5F-200 came in second at 195.7 bushels and $649.
Completing the top five slots were Renk RK596SSTX, yielding 183.7 bushels and grossing $623, Great Lakes 5428STXRIB, yielding 190 bushels and grossing $612, and NuTech/G2 Gen 5Z-295, yielding 181.4 bushels and grossing $605 per acre.
Planting was completed on May 30 at a rate of 34,000 seeds per acre, and there were 30,600 plants per acre harvested on Nov. 21. According to Schleuning, the site got off to a rough start this season.
"Cool, wet conditions resulted in uneven seedling emergence," he reported, adding the crop height varied at harvest. "Some plants had ears positioned only 2.5 feet above the ground."
Like the Kent County site, this trial experienced weak stalk quality, and high lodging percentages were recorded in a surrounding field. The average yield for the top 30 of the 45 varieties in the test was 162.2 bushels per acre, with a gross per-acre income of $531. The average moisture was 24 percent.
Igl’s sandy loam field was previously planted to soybeans and had moderate levels of phosphorus and potassium. Lumax, glyphosate and Force were used on this field for pest management.
