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Selecting Corn Hybrids and Soybean Varieties for 2010
Mike Staton, MSU Extension Agricultural Educator and Soybean 2010 Coordinator
Selecting corn hybrids and soybean varieties is one of the most important management decisions producers make. The hybrids and varieties you select will directly affect your yield potential and profits. Because of this, you should select your hybrids and varieties carefully. Consider the following factors when selecting the best adapted varieties for your farm -- yield, pest resistance or tolerance, maturity and standibility.
Yield
Yield is probably the most important characteristic to look for when selecting corn hybrids and soybean varieties. Refer to tables 1 through 4 to see how critical hybrid and variety selection is to your profitability. Yield potential under ideal growing conditions varies among hybrids and varieties. The maximum yield potential of a given hybrid or variety is also affected by weather and other environmental conditions. A hybrid/variety that has the highest yield potential under ideal conditions may not yield as well as others when confronted with yield limiting factors. The best way to account for this variability is to look at yield data from as many different environments as possible. Research has shown that evaluating performance over a wide range of locations and over multiple years will help you select the best adapted hybrids and varieties for your farm. Since hybrids and varieties have relatively short life spans, multiple-location data is easier to obtain than multiple-year data. The “Michigan Soybean Performance Report” and “Michigan Corn Hybrids Compared” are excellent sources for this information. Both publications are posted online at www.css.msu.edu/varietytrials soon after their release. The 2009 “Michigan Soybean Performance Report” should be posted by mid-November and “Michigan Corn Hybrids Compared in 2009” should be available in early December. Both publications are also published in the Michigan Farm News.
Table 1. Yield advantage of the highest-yielding hybrids over the average yield of all the hybrids and the lowest-yielding hybrids averaged across all locations in maturity zones 1, 2 and 3 from “Michigan Corn Hybrids Compared” (2005 – 2008).
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Year
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High – Average (bu/ac)
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High – Low (bu/ac)
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2005
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21.4
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61.8
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2006
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20.0
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52.0
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2007
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23.3
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47.6
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2008
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15.2
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33.0
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Table 2. 1Economic advantage of the highest-yielding hybrids over the average yield of all the hybrids and the lowest-yielding hybrids averaged across all locations in maturity zones 1, 2 and 3 from “Michigan Corn Hybrids Compared” (2005 – 2008).
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Year
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High – Average ($/ac)
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High – Low ($/ac)
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2005
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$42.80
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$123.60
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2006
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$60.80
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$158.08
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2007
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$97.86
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$199.92
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2008
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$61.56
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$133.65
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1Economic advantage per acre was determined by multiplying the yield advantage of the highest yielding hybrids by the USDA average prices received for each marketing year ($2.00/bu in 2005, $3.04/bu in 2006, $4.20/bu in 2007 and $4.05/bu in 2008).
Table 3. Yield advantage of the highest-yielding soybean varieties over the average yield of all the varieties and the lowest-yielding varieties averaged across all locations and maturity groups from the “Michigan Soybean Performance Reports” (Roundup Ready varieties only).
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Year
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High – Average (bu/ac)
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High – Low (bu/ac)
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2006
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6.8
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14.4
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2007
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5.8
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14.1
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2008
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5.0
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10.7
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2009
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5.0
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12.1
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Table 4. 2Economic advantage of the highest-yielding soybean varieties over the average yield of all the varieties and the lowest-yielding varieties averaged across all locations and maturity groups from the “Michigan Soybean Performance Reports” (Roundup Ready varieties only).
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Year
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High – Average ($/ac)
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High – Low ($/ac)
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2006
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$43.72
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$92.59
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2007
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$58.58
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$142.41
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2008
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$49.85
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$106.68
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2009
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$45.50
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$110.11
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2Economic advantage was determined by multiplying the yield advantage of the highest yielding varieties by the USDA average prices received for each marketing year -- $6.43/bu in 2006, $10.10/bu in 2007, $9.97/bu in 2008 (estimated) and $9.10/bu for 2009 (projected).
Maturity
The maturity range of the hybrids/varieties you select also affects your net income. Always select hybrids and varieties that will reach physiological maturity prior to a killing frost. The latest maturity soybeans planted should have yellow pods just before the date when there is a 20% chance of a killing frost occurring. Selecting soybean varieties that are too early for a given area will lead to lower yields as the plants will be filling seeds under hotter and drier conditions. Selecting varieties that are too late increases the risk of frost and freeze damage.
Corn hybrid maturity can have a significant effect on harvest moisture, drying costs an
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