David Marrison, Extension Agriculture/Natural Resources Agent
Brian Forman, Lester Marrison, Keith Palmer, and Stan Ruck, Ashtabula County
Producers
Phil Rzewnicki, On-Farm Research Coordinator
To provide a source of objective information on the relative performance of short-season corn hybrids currently available to Ashtabula County farmers.
| Cooperator: | Keith Palmer | Cooperator: | Brian Forman | |
| Nearest Town: | Andover | Nearest Town: | Geneva | |
| Major Soil Type: | Platea silt loam | Major Soil Type: | Sheffield silt loam | |
| Planting Population: | 30,136/acre average | Planting Population: | 26,800/acre average | |
| Plant Pop @ Harvest: | 29,048/acre average | Plant Pop @ Harvest: | 17,464/acre average | |
| Previous Crop: | Wheat | Previous Crop: | Oats | |
| Planting Date: | April 25, 1998 | Planting Date: | May 18, 1998 | |
| Harvest Date: | October 12, 1998 | Harvest Date: | Oct. 27, 1998 | |
| Plot Yield: | 125.68 bu/acre | Plot Yield: | 109.87 bu/acre | |
| Plot Moisture: | 18.1% | Plot Moisture: | 22.1% | |
| Cooperator: | Lester Marrison | Cooperator: | Stan Ruck | |
| Nearest Town: | Jefferson | Nearest Town: | Geneva | |
| Major Soil Type: | Sheffield silt loam | Major Soil Type: | Platea silt loam | |
| Planting Population: | 28,000/acre average | Planting Population: | 30,000/acre average | |
| Plant Pop @ Harvest: | 23,094/acre average | Plant Pop @ Harvest: | 22,125/acre average | |
| Previous Crop: | Grass/Legume Hay | Previous Crop: | Soybeans | |
| Planting Date: | May 29, 1998 | Planting Date: | June 4, 1998 | |
| Harvest Date: | October 31, 1998 | Harvest Date: | Nov. 12, 1998 | |
| Plot Yield: | 151.84 bu/acre | Plot Yield: | 97.87 bu/acre | |
| Plot Moisture: | 23.6% | Plot Moisture: | 24.7% |
This research project was designed to study the performance of short-season corn hybrids using four farms within the county as replicates. Hybrids submitted for evaluation were 80-90 day hybrids, and the specific characteristics that were noted were: yield, harvest population, grain moisture at harvest, test weight, and gross return per bushel after corrections were made for drying costs and low test weights. A check variety with a maturity of 102 days (Countrymark 447) was used at each location.
Hybrids were randomly planted in field-length strips at each of the four farm locations. Hybrids were planted with a commercial-type planter. Fertilizer, herbicides, and insecticides were applied according to recommended cultural practices for obtaining optimum grain yields. If space permitted, each host farm was permitted to put additional varieties in its plot.
| Hybrid Performance Across Farm Locations | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid (Maturity) | Yield (bu/ac) @15.5% moisture | Population plants/ac |
Test Weight lbs/bu | Moisture % | Gross Return* $/acre |
| Novartis 3030Bt (95) | 131.48 a | 22,729 | 56 | 22.2 | 271.64 |
| Pioneer 37M81 (97) | 131.32 a | 23,625 | 54 | 22.3 | 271.04 |
| Novartis 2555Bt (90) | 127.71 ab | 26,245 | 59 | 19.7 | 270.23 |
| Countrymark 447 (102) | 124.82 abc | 22,042 | 53 | 27.0 | 244.65 |
| Countrymark 1660 (85) | 123.29 abc | 22,208 | 55 | 20.4 | 259.16 |
| Pioneer 3905 (87) | 118.48 bc | 23,583 | 57 | 19.2 | 251.89 |
| Novartis 4242Bt (100) | 116.97 c | 24,906 | 55 | 21.6 | 243.06 |
| Novartis N15-B4(80) | 102.50 d | 23,409 | 57 | 18.9 | 218.53 |
| Countrymark 1682 (88) | 102.44 d | 23,000 | 56 | 18.9 | 218.40 |
|
F = 8.06 Yields followed by same letter are not significantly different at P =
0.05. | |||||
All nine corn hybrids in this experiment yielded higher than the 10-year county average of 98.88 bushels per acre, and seven yielded better than the five-year average of 111.08 bushels per acre. Given the relatively low number of growing-degree units available to Ashtabula County farmers, the use of short-season corn hybrids could potentially increase gross returns. The results of this analysis indicate that five of the hybrids returned higher gross returns than the long-season check variety (Countrymark 447). In addition, the shorter-season corn varieties had higher test weights and in a general field situation would be able to be harvested earlier in the fall when weather conditions are more favorable.
For additional information, contact:
David L. Marrison
Ohio State University Extension, Ashtabula County
39 Wall Street
Jefferson, Ohio 44047
440-576-9008
marrison.2@osu.edu