By TESA NAUMAN
Tennessee Correspondent

GRAND RIDGE, Ill. — FS Seeds took the top two spots in a recent soybean seed test in northern Illinois. The test was conducted by Farmer’s Independent Research of Seed Technologies (F.I.R.S.T.) on the Christ & David Thomas Brothers Farms in La Salle County, Ill.

The winning hybrid was FS Seeds HS27A02, with an average yield of 71.6 bushels per acre. The moisture content for this variety was 11 percent, and the estimated gross income per acre was $716. FS Seeds HS28A02 was second, at 68.9 bushels per acre.

Christ & David Thomas Brothers Farms have silty clay loam soil. The field was moderately well drained and non-irrigated.
Conventional tillage in the fall was used, and Treflan, Flexstar, Fusion and Resource were applied to the field.

F.I.R.S.T. Manager Jason Beyers planted the field at a rate of 170,000 seeds per acre on May 10, and he harvested 135,500 seeds per acre on Oct. 1. Beyers said he was pleased with the overall performance of the test. The average yield for all 42 varieties was 61.4 bushels per acre, and the moisture content was at 11.1 percent.

“This location got off to a good start, and during midseason received ample amounts of rain,” Beyers said. “During July and August (there was) hardly any precipitation.

“There was evidence of SDS (Sudden Death Syndrome) in the surrounding field, but hard to find much in the plot area. Plant heights ranged from 30 - 42 inches tall.”

The previous crop on this field was corn, treated with Glylos.
Finishing third in the test was Steyer 2701R2, at 68.5 bushels per acre. Stone 2R2701 had the fourth-best yield at 67.4 bushels per acre and Diener 2812CR2 came in fifth position, at 67 bushels per acre.

For a complete list of brands tested and a searchable database of information, go online to www.firstseedtests.com