MACOMB, Ill. — Overall plant populations were reduced by “green snap” of young corn plants at a corn hybrid test in McDonough County, Ill.

The corn hybrid trial was conducted by Farmer’s Independent Research of Seed Technologies (F.I.R.S.T.) on the rural Macomb farm of Jerry Lewis. The farm’s soil was a Tama silty clay loam. The field had a 1.5 percent slope, and it was moderately drained. The previous crop on this location was soybeans treated with Roundup.
F.I.R.S.T. manager Eric Beyers said extreme wind gusts damaged the corn plants only weeks after planting.

“Severe straight-line winds early in the growing season caused moderate to severe degrees of green-snapping,” Beyers reported. “During the stand count data collection, green snap counts were also taken. Overall, plant populations were reduced. Green snap occurred when the corn was nearly 2-inches in height.”

Beyers planted the trial site on May 4, 2008 at a rate of 36,300 seeds per acre. On Oct. 22, 2008, he harvested an estimated 27,200 plants per acre from the field.

“The harvest lodging scores reflect root lodging,” he explained. “Yield variability was above normal due to the green-snapped plots.”

In the early-season test, LG Seeds hybrid LG2555VT3 earned the highest marks with an average yield of 263.7 bushels per acre, an estimated gross income per acre of $1,299.80 and a moisture level of 16.4 percent.

A different LG Seeds hybrid also took top honors in the late-season trial. LG Seeds LG2620VT3 topped 281 bu./acre with a moisture level of 17.8 percent and an estimated gross income per acre of $1,365.70.

A list of all the hybrids in this test is available at www.firstseedtests.com