VERSAILLES, Ohio — NK Brand N68B-3111 yielded the most bushels per acre in a Darke County, Ohio, early-season seed test plot last year. The variety produced 136.8 bushels per acre, worth an estimated $805.60 of gross income, with a moisture level of 28.7 percent.

Conducted by Farmer’s Independent Research of Seed Technologies (F.I.R.S.T.) at Ron Wulber’s farm in Versailles, the test plot’s soil was silty clay loam that was well-drained, conventional without fall tillage and non-irrigated.

The west-central Ohio plot was rated moderate high P and moderate K with a 6.8 pH and a 3 percent OM. The early-season test plot was planted at 34,000 seeds per acre on June 2, and harvested on Nov. 7 at 28,600 plants per acre.

The second highest-yielding early-season variety on the Wulber farm was Ebberts 7358VT3P, which produced 119 bushels per acre, worth an estimated $712.60 of gross income, with a moisture level of 25.4 percent. The third highest-yielding was FS Seeds, which produced 119 bushels per acre, worth an estimated $700.40 of gross income, with a moisture level of 28.8 percent.

Rich Schleuning, F.I.R.S.T. site manager, said there was a hard three inches of rain after planting, which reduced final stand to 27,300 plants per acre, as well as a late-season hail storm in August that cut some of the tops off plants.

“Stalk rot was observed, with lodged corn ears having only 28 to 30 kernels per row, compared to standing corn with 48 kernels per ear row,” he said. “Just a mile down the road, with timely rain, corn averaged 150 to 165 bushels per acre.”

In the full-season test on the Wulber farm, the highest-yielding variety was Channel 213-32VT3, which produced 124.4 bushels per acre, worth an estimated $722.50 of gross income, with a moisture level of 31.4 percent.

The second highest-yielding was Specialty 4662GENVT3P, with 121.6 bushels per acre and an estimated $717.90 per acre, at a moisture level of 28.2 percent. The third highest from this plot was Specialty 4644GENVT3P, which produced 121.2 bushels per acre, worth an estimated $714.50 gross, at a moisture level of 28.5 percent.