March 29, 2024

Variety testing: Independent trials offer seed selection guide

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Nearly 200 corn hybrids and 250 soybean varieties were included in this year’s University of Illinois Department of Crop Sciences’ variety testing trials across the state.

Results of this year’s soybean and corn trials are featured in this week’s Illinois AgriNews and also available on the Crop Sciences website to provide farmers, Extension personnel and seed companies with agronomic information such as yield and quality.

Soybean plots were located at Fenton, Freeport, DeKalb, Monmouth, Goodfield, Dwight, Perry, New Berlin, Urbana, Belleville, St. Peter, Elkville and Harrisburg.

Corn trials were conducted at DeKalb, Freeport, Fenton, Perry, Monmouth, New Berlin, Dwight, Goodfield, Urbana, St. Peter, Elkville and Belleville.

Corn

“Overall it was a good year as far as corn yields and test site uniformity. We had quality trials,” said Darin Joos, U of I Crop Sciences principal research specialist.

“The Freeport location had an herbicide application that wasn’t advantageous to the crop, so we dropped that. We dropped the Perry corn location due to severe green snap and lodging from the widespread damage caused by a wind event on July 9. So, those two trials were lost.

“The Monmouth site suffered some pretty low yields, averaging around 190 bushels per acre, which is pretty unusual for that area. It was probably a combination of some disease and some heavy rain after planting (8.1 inches of rain in June followed by a dry July).

“On the positive side, the New Berlin site averaged 285 bushels per acre and it had eight varieties that were 300 bushels per acre or above. Besides the Perry site, there was some lodging at other sites, but not necessarily where the whole field fell down.”

There was one site change from the previous year with the Mt. Morris location was moved to Highland Community College at Freeport.

The east-central trials in Dwight, Goodfield and Urbana averaged 245 bushels per acre for corn; northern region in DeKalb, Freeport and Fenton averaged 253; west-central in Monmouth, Perry and New Berlin, 241; and the south region in St. Peter, Belleville and Elkville, 231.

Soybeans

“The soybean fields were overall pretty good. DeKalb had an 87 bushel average. New Berlin had an 86 bushel average. Good soils and had the right conditions,” Joos noted.

“The Goodfield site for whatever reason, I’m guessing it has to be moisture-related, averaged 47 bushels per acre. That was kind of disappointing. Goodfield only had 2.6 inches of rain in July.”

Soybean yields in Region 1 in Fenton, Freeport and DeKalb averaged 80.6 bushels per acre across all trials; Region 2 in Monmouth, Goodfield and Dwight, 61.8; Region 3 in Perry, New Berlin and Urbana, 79.4; Region 4 in Belleville and St. Peter, 72.9; and Region 5 in Elkville and Harrisburg, 75.9.

The corn trials included 197 varieties from 20 different companies. There were 247 soybean hybrids in the trials from 27 companies. Those numbers have been stable the last three or four years.

Independent Trials

U of I’s variety testing program began in 1934. The trials are professionally managed and conducted in a research-based manner to minimize variability and insure the integrity of the results and offers a premier source of objective third party information on current varieties.

The corn trials included various maturities, insecticide seed treatments, genetic trials, herbicide trait trials and non-GMO products. Yields and moisture content are reported for each hybrid from each trial site. Two-year and three-year yield averages are also documented for some hybrids.

The soybean trials featured herbicide traits and conventional varieties and various seed treatments. Yields along with protein and oil content were documented for each variety, as well as two-year and three-year yield averages various varieties.

Tom Doran

Tom C. Doran

Field Editor