Minnetonka, Minnesota, USA
December 3, 2014
- Factor in both yield performance and agronomic characteristics when selecting corn hybrids for 2015
- A team of Syngenta experts helps guide growers in hybrid selection
- The Yield Engineering System (Y.E.S.) develops outstanding new corn hybrids
This year raised the bar for high yields in many areas, but growers can’t always depend on good weather for a strong return on investment. A decline in corn prices and nature’s unpredictability make corn hybrid selection especially important for the 2015 season. Created using the Syngenta Yield Engineering System (Y.E.S.), NK® and Golden Harvest® corn hybrids offer various agronomic attributes to increase yield and profit potential.
“Hybrid selection is one of the most important decisions a grower makes during the year,” says Eric Boersma, head of corn seed product management at Syngenta. “It lays the groundwork for the entire season, so it is critical for each hybrid to meet the needs of each field.”
This process requires understanding a field’s past conditions as well as potential problems that may arise during the growing season. If certain insects or diseases were prevalent in previous years, selecting a hybrid that offers protection from or tolerance to that pest can help increase yield potential. In addition to pest considerations, growers may want to choose hybrids characterized for the best performance based on their field’s soil type, crop rotation and planting population.
According to the University of Wisconsin Extension, growers also should choose corn hybrids based on past yield performance. Using multi-year data is the best way to predict a hybrid’s performance in a region. However, if single-year data is the only information available for a product, it’s recommended growers focus less on individual results from one or two plots and rely more on yield data from a broader geography to ensure the best performance. They can also ask their local NK retailer or Syngenta Seed Advisor for product placement information.
“When growers handpick an NK or Golden Harvest corn hybrid, they’re not just getting a corn seed,” says Boersma. “Researchers have spent years developing and testing each hybrid. Retailers, Seed Advisors and Syngenta sales staff are available season-long to help growers choose the right hybrid and place and manage it correctly for the best possible results.”
Behind that local support team, Syngenta researchers use Y.E.S. to improve the breeding cycle and accelerate the rate of genetic yield gain in Golden Harvest and NK corn hybrids. The result is high-yielding hybrids that are available to growers more quickly than ever before. Syngenta continually improves its corn hybrid offerings each growing season, so farmers have access to the latest traits and technologies to grow more corn.
Learn more about these hybrids from your local NK retailer or Syngenta Seed Advisor. You can also access more information about the genetic and traits portfolio from Syngenta by visiting www.GoldenHarvestSeeds.com or www.NKCorn.com. Join the conversation – connect with us at social.SyngentaUS.com.
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