Changing Hybrids On-The-Go Boosts Yields

Changing Hybrids On-The-Go Boosts Yields CROPS New Techniques “We think one of the best ways to boost yields is by switching hybrids as the planter is rolling through the field ” says Jason Webster Director of the Illinois Precision Farm Research for Beck’s Hybrids “We researched this concept at two locations near Downs Ill in 2012 and found that it can lead to a 20 bushel an acre advantage over planting the same hybrid across the whole field At today’s prices that can mean significantly more income ” The Becks research team conducted the tests using an “offensive” high yield hybrid on the best parts of the test fields and a “defensive” hybrid on the lower producing parts of the fields Researchers modified a Kinze 3500 8-row planter The 3500 was originally set up as an 8/7 row configuration for interplanting on 15-in spacing Webster says to get 8 row units on the front they had to cut the hitch apart and expand two mounting arms so 8 pusher row planting units in 30-in row spacing could be mounted on the main frame Those row units were offset 8 in from the rear rows Webster says they chose that configuration because it was important to see the row shift in the field so they could evaluate the hybrids during the growing season Both sets of row units were equipped with hydraulic motors so they could turn the boxes on and off depending on which hybrid they wanted to plant Webster says the key to making this research concept work is knowing the different soil types fertility levels and past yield performance within a given field Webster says “farmers used to describe their fields as ‘this one is good that one’s better and the land down there is the best ’ They’d put the best hybrid on the field that was flat black and beautiful and choose something else for the others Now we can apply that same description within individual fields Management Zones define the good better and best areas within a field It’s an extremely accurate method of predicting which areas of a field have the highest yield potential ” Becks ran their 2012 tests on farms in Ford County Ill The hybrids were also planted at different population levels from 28 000 to 30 000 for the defensive hybrid and 34 000 to 36 000 for the offensive hybrid Harvest results showed that the offensive hybrid produced its best yields at 34 000 plants per acre while the defensive hybrid in the secondary zones did best at 28 000 seeds per acre As population levels increased in the lower producing zones the yields decreased just over 11 bushels an acre Although the 2012 trials were only one year Webster thinks that changing hybrids and population levels within Management Zones has merit The company has built another planter and will run more corn tests in 2013 They also plan to run bean variety comparisons on the fields that had corn last year “Variable rate seeding with different hybrids within a field is one way we can reach toward that 300 bushel yield level and produce more income per acre ” Webster says Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Jason Webster Beck’s Hybrids 6767 East 276th St Atlanta Ind 46031 ph 815 584-7711; www beckshybrids com

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.