ROANOKE, Ill. — Dozens of central Illinois farmers converged on the Bayer Crop Science FOCUS Site outside of Roanoke on August 26-27 to participate in Bayer’s 2021 Roanoke FOCUS Tour. Topics of the field study included high yield management, fungicide timing, planting dates, and new pipeline products including short stature corn.

Short stature corn, which grows to a height of 6-8 feet rather than 9-12 feet tall, is being readied for commercial release by Bayer as soon as 2023, according to Bayer technology development representative David Shenaut. Its agronomic advantages include easier and more precise fungicide and nutrient applications, along with an option for narrower row spacing without compromising overall biomass or ear and kernel size, explained Shenaut, who works out of Bayer’s field office in Mahomet, Ill. 

“Short stature corn is a product concept we’ve been working on for six to eight years, and it has been in technology development for at least five years,” he said. “The internodes -- the stem between the leaves -- are shorter. When the rapid elongation phase occurs, tall corn keeps growing (vertically) and short stature corn does not. You won’t see any difference at all until you get past V7 or V8 and then you start to see the separation.”

Shenaut said that the trials are proving Bayer’s short stature corn produces every bit as well as the company’s conventional, taller hybrids -- otherwise the product would never be commercialized. Other important considerations for commercialization of the product include ear height, which must remain at least around 24 inches off the ground. Ears are typically at the same node from the base as conventional corn, and just as many leaves are produced. 

Another appealing characteristic of short stature corn is its standability, Bayer’s research has proven.

“One of the things we’ve found so far is that the roots grow deeper quicker, which makes it interesting for a lot of reasons. In certain geographies it will grow better just because of that,” said Shenaut. “But the biggest advantage is that you can get closer to it and spray it with closer to conventional equipment; you won’t have to have a really tall highboy-type sprayer to apply anything to your crops. If you have your own fungicide applicator, this is a really slick deal.”

Introducing a higher seeding rate and growing plants closer together is what Shenaut described as a side benefit of growing short corn. 

“If you don’t plant this crop any differently from what you usually do with your current hybrids, expect it to behave like your current hybrid only with better standability,” he said. “If you want to grow more plants per acre and increase your yields, this is a great way to do it. You can go from 30-inch rows to more like 20 or even 15, and you can harvest it with a narrow-row corn head. And with narrow rows, weed control can be improved.”

Bayer intends to offer their short stature corn as early as 2023 in limited supply, after breeder trial data is further evaluated. Shenaut expects a slow launch of the product, with the inclusion of the same traits currently offered in Bayer’s Smart Stax Pro and VT Double Pro (or Trecepta). 

Bayer’s first technology for short stature corn is a breeding trait. They also have a second-generation biotechnology version that inserts a gene inside the plant to regulate internode length, and a third-generation product that employs a gene-edited approach; all are in the company’s product development pipeline.

“One of the reasons growers are so excited about (short corn) is not only the standability, but the options it presents,” Shenaut said. “We’re getting closer to a commercial product every day. Now that we have the architecture, we are breeding for yield. And what I am seeing this year is very, very good.”

The concept of short stature corn is not new to breeders. Stine Seed Company has been studying short corn hybrids since the mid-1990s and has incorporated the technology into their commercial hybrids. The result? Stine’s average hybrid corn height has dropped by more than 12 inches.

“Higher density planting was really the desired outcome, (but) as we continued down the path towards higher density, our best hybrids were tending to get shorter along the way,” said David Thompson, Stine Seed director of marketing, in January. “We have been passionately promoting this concept for more than a decade. We believe shorter-stature corn is the future of corn farming.”

Bayer’s short corn variety will initially be offered as a commercial seed product, though food-grade short stature corn should be coming through the company’s pipeline soon, according to Shenaut.