St. Louis, Missouri
March 24, 2009
Results of academic and industry
research show increasing corn seeding rates and corresponding
plant populations can help maximize yields and profitability.
The reason: Today’s elite genetics combined with advanced
biotech traits enable corn plants to better handle stress and
tolerate higher plant densities.
Dr. Marcus Jones, Corn Germplasm Technology Development Manager
for Monsanto, said the
company conducted plant population/row spacing trials at 72
locations across the Corn Belt in 2008. The field trials
included over 24,000 comparisons between seed products with
YieldGard VT Triple® in-plant insect protection and corn
featuring no insect-protection traits.
The trial protocol, he said, included five different seeding
rates, ranging from 23,000 to 43,000 seeds per acre, and also
compared plant performance in 20-inch versus 30-inch rows.
“Our message about the benefit of elite germplasm and traits
allowing farmers to plant at higher populations holds true, but
this varied greatly by area last season due to extreme swings in
the weather,” explains Dr. Jones. “2008 was a highly unusual
weather year in many parts of the Midwest, so some areas saw a
greater advantage than others.”
Dr. Jones notes that higher yield potential began to drop off
above 38,000 seeds per acre, compared to 36,000 seeds per acre
in a similar trial program in 2007. “The curve is going higher,”
he says. “At each population level,” he added, “the YieldGard VT
Triple corn outyielded hybrids without insect traits.”
Monsanto has made a commitment to help farmers double corn yield
potential, while conserving resources by producing crops with
one-third less inputs per unit, by 2030. These field trials,
called the Advanced Plant Density and Row Spacing Project, are
part of this effort as Monsanto works to better understand the
interplay among such key factors as good germplasm, biotech
traits, seeding rates and placement, and plant populations.
“Little research has been conducted to determine how advanced
trait technology and germplasm might influence seeding rates and
plant populations until now,” Dr. Jones says. “We are looking
for a better understanding of multiple interactions affecting
yield.”
In 2008, the field trials determined that corn planted in
30-inch rows yielded more than in 20-inch rows at all plant
populations, except in some areas of South Dakota and Minnesota.
The optimal plant population for 30-inch rows was 33,000 to
38,000 plants per acre, while the optimal population for 20-inch
rows was 38,000 to 40,000 plants per acre.
Corn with the YieldGard VT Triple technology yielded more than
corn with just the Roundup Ready® Corn 2 trait at all
populations. Corn with the YieldGard VT Triple technology was
able to provide increased yield potential with high populations
up to 38,000 plants per acre. Corn without that trait was only
able to take advantage of increased plant populations up to
33,000 plants per acre.
“This difference is likely due to the ability of corn with the
YieldGard VT Triple technology to better handle stresses of
certain insect pests and have greater uptake of moisture and
nutrients,” Dr. Jones observes.
Dr. Roger Elmore, Professor of Agronomy at Iowa State
University, says his data indicates that some Iowa farmers need
to increase their seeding rates, especially on highly productive
fields. “Five years ago, 30,000 seeds per acres would have been
pushing higher populations,” he says. “With genetic advances,
farmers should now consider trying at least 32,000 seeds per
acre, maybe higher.”
Best-yielding fields – those that historically yield 200 bushels
or more per acre – should be able to handle seeding rates of up
to 35,000 seeds per acre or even higher, according to ISU
research. Super high-yielding environments might call for more
than 35,000 seeds per acre, producing a plant population that
has to be managed tightly.
“Every farm and field is different, and farmers should keep that
in mind when making decisions about pushing higher plant
populations,” Dr. Elmore says. “It depends on the environment,
soil type and individual field.”
The terms “seeding rates” and “plant populations” should not be
used interchangeably. There is a difference between the number
of seeds planted per are and the lower-number “final stand”,
which represents plant populations and the actual number of
plants that make it to maturity.
In general, Jones says that farmers should target fields with
high fertility, good drainage and historically strong yields as
candidates for increased seeding rates. Monsanto research shows
that about 50 percent of farmers have not changed their planting
population in the last five years. Leading academics recommend
farmers consider planting 5 percent to 10 percent more seed to
boost yield potential and return on investment.
“Increasing plant populations is one of the easiest ways to
achieve higher yields, since it does not require additional
equipment, land and labor costs,” Dr. Jones observes. “Farmers
who plant hybrids with leading traits should try a few test
strips with higher seeding rates to see for themselves the yield
advantage they can experience.”
Peter Thomison, Professor of Crop Sciences at The Ohio State
University, notes that according to the National Agricultural
Statistics Service, 34 percent of the corn acreage in Ohio in
2008 had corn plant populations exceeding 30,000 plants per
acre. This contrasts with 14 percent of the Ohio corn acreage
with populations exceeding 30,000 plants per acre in 2006. This
change suggests that many Ohio growers are using higher seeding
rates to boost yields. “On highly productive soils that
consistently produce yields of 175 bushels or more per acre,
final stands of 30,000 to 33,000 plants per acre or more may be
needed to maximize yields,” Thomison says.
University of Illinois Professor of Crop Sciences Emerson
Nafziger says his data indicate that some Illinois farmers may
want to increase their plant populations.
“It helps to think in terms of how many bushels of yield it
takes to pay for that last 1,000 seeds,” Nafziger explains.
“Growers can increase their plant populations and not have to
worry much about it costing them yield. The fact that yields
tend to level off and not drop off at plant populations higher
than necessary means that it may often be riskier to have too
few plants than too many.”
The Illinois professor adds that soils with average yields above
180 bushels per acre should aim to have harvest populations in
the 32,000 to 35,000 plants per acre range. “Populations don’t
have to be increased a lot for yields to be higher in good
conditions,” Nafziger stresses. “When good conditions mean
higher yields on less-productive fields, having higher
populations can also increase yields.”
About Monsanto Company
Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of
technology-based solutions and agricultural products that
improve farm productivity and food quality. Monsanto remains
focused on enabling both small-holder and large-scale farmers to
produce more from their land while conserving more of our
world's natural resources such as water and energy.
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only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries
where all necessary regulatory approvals have been granted. It
is a violation of national and international law to move
material containing biotech traits across boundaries into
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ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS and follow
insect resistance management requirements. Roundup Ready® crops
contain genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, the active
ingredient in Roundup® agricultural herbicides. Roundup®
agricultural herbicides will kill crops that are not tolerant to
glyphosate. Roundup®, Roundup Ready®, and YieldGard VT Triple®
are registered trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC. |
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