How to Choose a Corn Hybrid

Modern corn hybrids: the way to maximize yield and efficiency

Grain and green mass contain a high amount of starch as a source of energy and other nutrients, so they are essential components in feeding farm animals. Due to its content of easily digestible starch, xanthophylls and linoleic acid, which contributes to the production of high-quality meat and egg products, corn is an important component of poultry rations. More than 115 million tons of corn grain is used for human consumption worldwide and is a source of starch for food and industry. It is also used in the pharmaceutical industry, for bioethanol production and as a key raw material for biogas.

Thus, in Ukraine, the area under this crop is growing significantly (official data from the Ministry of Agrarian Policy)

•  2007 - 1.9 million hectares,
•  2017 - 4.5 million hectares,
•  2018 - 4.6 million hectares

Seed producers around the world currently offer a huge range of hybrids for various technological purposes with different maturity groups, economic characteristics, yields, and suitability for different soil and climatic conditions.

It is quite difficult for a modern commodity producer to make a decision when choosing corn hybrid seeds, especially in the mass of information that comes from advertising products.

We believe that it is necessary to focus on the main parameters that will help to choose the “right hybrid” and maximize the cost-effective yield:

1. Targeted use: marketable grain, grain for feed, grain for preservation for feed, silage, green mass for feed, bioethanol, biogas.
2. Climatic zone of cultivation - to take into account the sum of active temperatures, the average long-term amount of precipitation for the growing season, to assess the likelihood of spring frosts, drought and the date of the beginning of autumn precipitation.
3. Soil characteristics and terrain - hybrids react differently to soil acidity, groundwater in different horizons and nutrient availability, soil particle size distribution in individual fields, slopes and light intensity.
4. Soil cultivation system - take into account the suitability of the hybrid for cultivation using different tillage technologies: traditional, Mini-till, Strip-till, No-till. Pay attention to the frequency of deep loosening in the field.
5. The fertilization system is an important element of the cultivation technology, as corn requires a balanced supply of nutrients during the growing season in large quantities. There is a high difference between hybrids in terms of mineral nutrition requirements.
6. Crop rotation - an important issue is the choice of a hybrid for growing in monoculture or other predecessors, as the infectious load of diseases and pests significantly affects the field resistance of plants to these factors.
7. Plant protection system - the genetic resistance of hybrids to diseases and pests is quite diverse and does not ensure absolute resistance, so it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of each hybrid in specific conditions and the financial capabilities of the technology.
8. Technical capabilities of the farm - the availability of mechanisms and units that will ensure the quality of all technological operations in the growing process (from tillage to harvesting, drying, storage).
9. Realization of genetic potential - there is a big difference in the yield and quality of grain and silage in hybrids of different maturity groups and intended use, so it is necessary to adequately assess the entire range of technological operations that will be applied in the field and, accordingly, make a decision on the choice of hybrid. High-intensity hybrids are not advisable to sow under limited technological conditions, and vice versa, there is no point in additional costs for medium- and low-yielding hybrids.

The selected maize hybrid will be able to maximize its genetic potential if the recommendations of the seed originator regarding the cultivation technology (soil conditions, fertilization and protection systems, plant density at the time of harvesting) are followed.

We recommend a differentiated approach to the selection of corn hybrids for a particular farm and take into account the availability of sowing and harvesting equipment, as it is advisable to sow hybrids of several maturity groups on large areas, which will be confirmed by a positive financial result.

The line of corn hybrids of VNIS breeding is represented by different maturity groups - FAO 210 to 370. All our hybrids are adapted for growing using traditional and energy-saving technologies, intensive type, and respond positively to high rates of mineral fertilizers and irrigation in the steppe regions. They provide a high-quality grain harvest of more than 10 t/ha in areas of moderate and sufficient moisture on average agricultural backgrounds.

A distinctive feature of VNIS corn hybrids is the combination of a high level of grain moisture transfer in a short time with high yields.

Thus, in Chernihiv region, on the background of N 55 P 25 K 25, the harvesting moisture content of corn grain with FAO more than 300 at the end of November 2018 was 20-21%, with the yield of the hybrid VN 6763 - 10.8 t/ha, Tesla - 12.45 t/ha, Gran 1 - 12.5 t/ha, on the background of N 35 in Poltava region. 10.6 t/ha, 13.2 t/ha and 13.7 t/ha respectively for hybrids with a moisture content of 19-22%. In Vinnytsia region, on the background of fertilizers N 65 P 15 K 15, the Gran 1 hybrid was harvested on January 6 with a yield of 14.5 t/ha and a moisture content of 21%.

Hybrids (FAO 280-300) form a high grain yield with a moisture content of 14-16% in September-October in Poltava, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, Khmelnytsky, and Ternopil regions: VN 63 - 9.9-12.8 t/ha, Gran 5 - 10.1-12.4 t/ha, and Gran 6 - 9.8-12.7 t/ha, depending on the mineral supply background.

Particularly noteworthy are hybrids VN-63 and Gran 6, which have a stable yield of 9.6-10.5 t/ha over the years on a low background of fertilizers N 30 P 10 K 15 in Cherkasy and Chernihiv regions.

For hybrids of shorter growing season, the recommended density for the harvesting period on high agricultural backgrounds is 90-95 thousand units/ha in the western, northern and central regions. Thus, the yield in production crops in Ternopil region. Gran 220 (FAO 210) - 12.5-12.7t/ha, Amarok (FAO 220) - 11.7-12.7t/ha, Gran 310 (FAO250) - 12.9-13.6t/ha, and in the north of Chernihiv region. Amarok (N 60) - 11.5 t/ha at 14.2% humidity in 2018 and 10.6 t/ha in 2017.

Yields of maize hybrids on low agricultural backgrounds in extreme drought and high temperature conditions of the Steppe of Dnipropetrovska, Odesa and Kharkiv oblasts vary from 6.0 to 8.8 t/ha over the years, depending on the availability of moisture during the growing season. Hybrids with an FAO score of more than 300 have better results.

The experience of the farm in Luhansk region shows that it is possible to sow Gran 220 and Amarok hybrids in the early stages on the background of N 20, which allows you to harvest dry grain in August up to 5 tons per hectare.

Thus, a reasonable choice of corn hybrid of VNIS selection for your farm will ensure profitability and profit.