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Choosing and Measuring Corn Hybrid Performance
Corn ear moisture at harvest and silking data are good indicators of maturity. Dry matter percentage in green forage at harvest in silage trials is also a measure of maturity. Corn hybrid choices by each grower should be made with regard to maturity as well as yield performance. Other considerations in addition to maturity and yield must be kept in mind. Lodging, plant breakage, and ear height all may contribute to the total harvest yield by facilitating a more efficient harvest and a better quality crop. Test weights also give some information on grain quality.
In a favorable season, later maturing hybrids generally yield more than earlier hybrids but they usually contain more moisture at harvest. Corn grown for grain must mature to produce maximum yield, therefore, early maturing hybrids should be grown for grain production in the cool, short growing season in North Dakota. Corn grown for silage may be slightly later in maturity than that grown for grain but the kernels should be starting to dent at silage harvest. Corn plants should contain 30-35% dry matter at harvest to produce good silage.
Performance of a hybrid may vary from year to year and location to location. A good way to reduce risk from such unstable performance is to plant several hybrids which have demonstrated good performance at the nearest one or more test sites during the past one or two seasons. Planting several hybrids may allow an earlier harvest since some of the hybrids will require less time to reach a harvestable moisture content.
See bulletin A793-North Dakota Hybrid Corn Performance Testing for more information.
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