ROANOKE, Ill. – Field agronomists with Bayer Crop Sciences led presentations on the latest research into short stature corn, tar spot fungicide applications and more during their 2022 Roanoke FOCUS Tour, Aug. 25-26 in rural Woodford County.

Short stature corn poised for gradual rollout

Newly rechristened as Bayer’s Smart Corn System, short stature corn hybrids, currently under development, could mark a transformational shift in corn production. This is according to Amy Russell, sales implementation lead, who said that Bayer’s short stature corn will roll out in limited quantities in time for the 2023 planting season. As part of the product rollout, Bayer’s Smart Corn System will offer tailored agronomic recommendations and digital services to help educate customers on how to better manage risk and unlock yield potential.

“We’ve been exploring the opportunity to look at short stature corn for over a decade now, and we’re going to start with a small-scale launch next year of 60,000 acres nationwide,” said Russell, whose tent was one of five stops on the 2022 Roanoke FOCUS Tour on the farm of Ken Bachman, co-owner of 3-B Seed Co.

“The benefits of short stature corn can be rolled into an acronym we call “PAY,” or protection, access and yield potential. We’re looking at risk protection from wind events and better standability from green snap, providing our growers greater access during the growing season, from a fungicide standpoint as well as providing an opportunity for additional sidebar usage for between another 7 and 10 days in-season for any side dress applications, and yield potential. With short stature corn, we have an opportunity to push more population which would help us with our yield potential,” Russell added.

Providing fuller season-round access to the crop, short stature corn has the definite potential to reduce application costs for fungicides, insecticides and nitrogen, Bayer agronomists have learned through internal trials across a range of environments – more than 500 locations in 16 states. “There’s going to be a better opportunity to manage this crop the way that we need to manage it through more timely applications,” Russell said.

Short stature corn has the same number of nodes and ears as its taller hybrid cousins, but with less space between internodes. Working with a breeding stock, Bayer crop scientists expect to achieve more consistent spacing between the internodes by the end of the decade, according to Russell. Short stature corn seems to have a larger root system but seems to be more drought tolerant than taller corn hybrids in early trials, she added.

Tar spot trials seek optimal fungicide timing

Unabated tar spot complex has the potential to rob 60-80 bushels per acre or more from corn yield and present lodging issues, Bayer researchers have learned in six years of studying the fungus at Roanoke and other research locations. Along with crop rotation as a front-line defense against tar spot, agronomists have been studying proper fungicide timing.

“One of our best tools for fighting tar spot is a well-timed fungicide application. We looked at different timings in relation to the growth stage of the corn and found that a single application of fungicide early and another application at tassel showed similar yield results,” said Rachel Willis, technical agronomist for Bayer’s DeKalb/Asgrow brands in northern Illinois. “Where we really saw better yield results and better crop protection was when we had applications at R1 and R3 – that timing really showed a nice yield advantage.”

After major outbreaks of tar spot in northern Illinois in 2018 and again last year, 2022 has been a relatively uneventful year in terms of tar spot. However, the area of distribution of tar spot is still on the rise, Willis noted. “We had originally thought tar spot might be mostly confined to northern Illinois, and it’s been shown that under the right conditions it can move further south and west than we had originally thought,” she said.

Bayer agronomists suggest farmers pay extra attention to the potential for tar spot on corn after times of above average rainfall, frequent heavy dews and high humidity during the mid to latter part of the growing season.

Early planted beans show clear yield advantage

Widespread adoption of treated soybean seed has made it possible – and profitable – to plant soybeans earlier than thought prudent a generation ago. Planting population and row width may also impact profitability. Bayer crop scientists have determined that planting 20-inch rows consistently provides an average yield bump of only around a bushel per acre. However, yield potential increases when planting rates are increased from 60,000 to 160,000 seeds per acre, and if prices remain more than $13 for soybeans in 2022, a planting rate of at least 120,000 seeds per acre could prove more profitable.

Kevin Rothzine, technical agronomist for Bayer’s Stone Seed in northern Illinois, has been working to determine the optimal planting date in north-central Illinois for early soybeans in relation to yield potential. “We planted this year from March 17 to June 13, and it is obvious that early planted beans have (more) nodes that stack and allow potential to put more beans on the plant. Beans planted in June have nodes that are nowhere near as close together,” Rothzine said. “As a result of our research, we recommend planting in the mid-April timeframe. The insurance date for soybeans is around April 15 for this part of the state, and I’ll never ask guys to plant soybeans in March – there’s so much risk there.”

Rothzine recommended that growers do not plant all of their soybeans in the earliest possible weather window of the spring, but should rather “spread their risk” with a staggered bean-corn-bean-corn planting schedule. “Make sure you have a good quality seed treatment,” he said. “And you might want to plant a little deeper to protect against frost. Beans can handle the cool weather and moisture better than corn and not knock back the yield like corn.”

Bayer’s Technology Development Group has 29 research locations totaling more than 800 acres across central and northern Illinois, including large locations at Newark, Warrensburg and Roanoke. To learn more about Bayer’s recent research, view their Focus on Agriculture podcast (available on all major podcasting platforms).