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Late planting gives corn the advantage for Indiana trial

 
By ANN HINCH
Associate Editor

COLUMBUS, Ind. — Two southern Indiana farms hosting Farmers Independent Research of Seed Technologies (F.I.R.S.T.) corn tests this year saw quite similar results in those variety trials.

At the Bartholomew County farm of Allen Eilen, in Columbus, 54 varieties of corn were planted on May 7, at a rate of 34,000 seeds per acre. The top yielder in this all-season test was LG Seeds variety LG2641VT3, which produced 158.1 bushels per acre with a resultant moisture of 18.7 percent. Its per-acre gross income was $1,155. (See chart on page 23.)

The second-highest yielder was Great Lakes variety 6530VT3PRO with 156.3 bushels and a gross income of $1,139; its moisture content was 19.6 percent. The third-place yielder, with moisture of 18.1 percent and a gross income of $1,110, was Steyer variety 11203-3000GT, which produced 151.6 bushels per acre.

The average yield for all varieties was 127.8 bushels, with a per-acre average gross income of $934 and overall moisture of 18.7 percent. The test was harvested on Oct. 27 with an average stand of 27,300 plants per acre.

Eilen’s plot was previously planted to wheat and consisted of clay loam, well drained and no-till, as well as non-irrigated. Its quality was moderate P and K with a pH of 6.3. F.I.R.S.T. Site Manager Rich Schleuning reported seedling emergence was thin and uneven.
“In mid-July, pollination had completed on some plants, but was just starting on others,” he said. “Plants showed signs of nutrient deficiency due to the drought, with no water to facilitate uptake.”
 Additionally, the corn was short because it did not reach full canopy, and this resulted in grass emergence once the rains began.
In the same county, at the Grammer farm of Ben Whiteside, he planted 54 varieties of corn on May 15 at a rate of 35,000 seeds per acre. The plot had previously been planted to soybeans treated with glyphosate. This plot was much like the Columbus test site – well drained no-till, non-irrigated clay loam, with moderate P and K and a 6.2 pH.

“This area was wet this spring, which delayed planting until mid-May,” Schleuning said. “The field around the test plot was planted and starting to emerge before the test was planted.

“The late planting was advantageous, as pollination occurred after the extreme heat of late June. Ear length remained short and had some zipper effect.” Also, he said late-season rains helped with grain quality.

Great Lakes variety 6087VT3PRO was the top-yielder in this test, producing 151.4 bushels per acre with a moisture content of 19.2 percent. It was the only variety to break the $1,100 mark in per-acre gross income, at $1,105.

Stewart variety 8V663 was the second-high yielder with 146.5 bushels and a $1,064 per-acre gross income; its moisture content was 20.5 percent. Coming in third was Steyer’s 11407VT3PRO with 145.2 bushels per acre, 20.1 percent moisture and a gross income of $1,056.

Average yield for all varieties was 122 bushels per acre and overall moisture was 20.8 percent. Average gross income per acre was $885. This plot was harvested on Oct. 27 with an overall stand of 29,800 plants per acre.

To see this and other tests online, visit www.firstseedtests.com
12/19/2012