SUBLETTE, Ill. — Shortly after planting and weeks before harvest a corn hybrid test plot in Lee County, Ill. was flooded by a nearby creek. However, the excess water did not appear to significantly damage yields at this location, according to sources with Farmer’s Independent Research of Seed Technologies (F.I.R.S.T.) – the managers of the hybrid test.

The seed trial was on the rural Sublette farm of Randy Faber. The soil is a clay loam. The field had a 1 percent slope, and it was moderately well drained. The previous crop on this field was corn treated with Roundup Ultra Max.

F.I.R.S.T. manager Jason Beyers planted the site on April 23, 2008 at a rate of 35,200 seeds per acre.

“This location had a really tough beginning,” Beyers reported. “When the corn was between 4-6 inches tall, an adjacent creek exceeded its banks and allowed water to stand on the plot for about four hours. This happened again about three weeks prior to harvest.

“All the corn was standing excellent, and there was no evidence of any disease pressure.”

He harvested approximately 33,400 plants per acre on Oct. 2, 2008.

Pfister hybrid 2675RWBT had the highest yield at 244 bushels per acre. It also had an estimated gross income per acre of $1,040.70, and it had a moisture level of 31.4 percent.

Other top-producing hybrids were DeKalb DKC61-19, 243.5 bu./acre; Stone 7T765VT3, 241.3 bu./acre; and Renk RK844VT3, 240 bu./acre.

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