Despite the fact that soybeans actually get planted on more acres, corn is still the driver of row-crop production in the East. At 3.3 million acres in 2015, it’s true that Canada’s farmers planted less corn than the 3.6 million acres they put in the ground in 2013, but it would be a mistake to read that as saying growers are losing interest.
Already, those growers are writing their lists of hybrids to consider planting in 2016. Now, here are some more to watch.
Below are brief glimpses at the offerings of seven seed and trait companies, with more than 50 new hybrids for next spring. Hybrid selection has been identified as one of the five most important factors in superior corn production, so be sure to check this handy guide and the brief descriptions from each of the companies.
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Country Farm Seeds
CF377 is a hybrid for the 2775 crop heat units region and comes with the VT Double Pro Corn trait, along with the convenience of Refuge in a Bag (RIB) technology. This provides protection against corn earworm, European and southwestern corn borers and fall army worm. This hybrid also comes with tolerance to Roundup brand herbicides.
CF610 is a conventional hybrid adapted to 3050 heat unit areas and suitable for all rotations with good standability and grain quality.
CF416 brings Genuity SmartStax RIB Complete technology for the 2825 crop heat unit areas. This hybrid provides superior technology for above- and below-ground pest control, as well as the convenience of using Roundup brand herbicides and refuge technology already in the bag.
CF182 is a basic Roundup Ready2Yield hybrid, new for 2016.
CF186 is a sound performer, complete with the VT Double Pro Corn trait and RIB technology. It’s suitable for use with Roundup and capable of standing up to above-ground insect challenges, from European and southwestern corn borers to fall army worm.
CF660 is another of Country Farm Seeds’ conventional hybrids, with suitability for the 3150 crop heat unit regions. It comes with good grain quality and standability.
CF662 is another hybrid that’s suited to those parts of eastern Ontario with 3150 CHUs. Its Roundup Ready2Yield trait provides that second generation of glyphosate tolerance for solid weed management across cropping systems.
CF686 helps in the 3200 heat unit region with strong yields and the Genuity SmartStax RIB Complete technology. This is another high performer that provides below- and above-ground pest control, along with Roundup Ready technology and convenience through RIB control.
CF320 is a conventional hybrid for the 2725 heat unit region.
Croplan/Winfield
3134SS/RIB (VT2P/RIB) is a new hybrid for the 2700 crop heat unit region with excellent offensive top-end yield potential and early flowering. It is best suited to better soils with moderate populations and aggressive management practices. Seedling vigour is very good, its ear height is medium to high and it has good drydown and drought tolerance.
3909SS/RIB (VT2P/RIB) is also new for 2016 and is targeted at the 2925 CHU area, with superior yield potential, strong emergence and vigour, later flowering and a loose husk enabling fast drydown. It’s heat driven and can handle stress in all yield environments. Seedling vigour is rated as very good, as are stalk quality, root strength and drought tolerance. It also fares well in cool-year response, and scores a “best” in hot-year response.
Dow Seeds
4085 features strong, early-season vigour and emergence for cold, wet soils. Early flowering with hard-textured grain also makes it suitable for northern adaptation.
DS90R27RA is a new hybrid with great yield potential which is broadly adapted across variable environments. It has a semi-flex ear to support more moderate plant densities, and a loose husk in the fall for faster drydown.
3425 is a consistent early-flowering hybrid with strong grain finish. It offers strong season-long stalk and root strength, and sound late-season intactness. It also has a very good disease package including moderate tolerance to Goss’s wilt and Northern corn leaf blight, plus excellent drought stress tolerance and yield stability for low- to high-yield environments.
DS01C77RA has medium-length ears with good kernel size and great kernel depth. It develops strong roots with average late-season stalks, and is good in areas with potential nitrogen deficiencies.
DS02J52 is a hybrid with a new genetic package with strong yield potential. It is a tall plant with medium ear height, plus consistent ear development and a semi-flex ear type that supports variable plant densities.
8669RA is another of the Dow Seeds corn hybrids with a new genetic package featuring outstanding yield potential. Solid agronomic characteristics include an excellent leaf disease package, strong stalks and roots, and good drought tolerance. The ears produce very good-quality grain with good husk coverage.
BMR97B34 is a brown mid-rib (BMR) hybrid with a tall plant stature with excellent yield potential. It also has the potential for strong tonnage with high starch, plus above-average scores for eyespot and Northern corn leaf blight.
BMR10B27RA is another of the brown mid-rib hybrids with a medium to tall plant stature and a full canopy. It also offers improved Northern corn leaf blight and grey leaf spot (GLS) protection, plus tip-fill and ear consistency.
TMF86H77RA provides consistent yield and good digestibility, with high tonnage and excellent starch scores. A semi-flex ear provides flexibility across variable plant densities. It’s also widely adapted for variable soil types.
TMF91Q25 is new among corn hybrids with a very tall and robust plant and new leafy genetics, plus attractive ears with an adequate husk coverage and excellent disease scores.
TMF94L37 has excellent eye appeal among hybrids and consistent ears down the row. Strong emergence and early vigour are also key features, as is excellent disease tolerance.
TMF99Q47RA is unique among Dow hybrids, offering silage genetics with the SmartStax trait. This is a tall and dense hybrid with medium ear placement, moderately soft kernel texture, excellent digestibility and starch scores.
TMF09H97 is a tall and leafy hybrid that will produce very high tonnage. It offers excellent digestibility with very good starch quality. It’s a very attractive plant type with a full, dense canopy and good leaf disease tolerance.
Monsanto/Dekalb
DKC23-17RIB is an early-flowering, early-maturing hybrid with excellent harvest appearance and test weight and fast drydown. The hybrid comes out of the ground with very good emergence and seedling vigour and stands throughout the growing season with very good stalk and root strength. This DeKalb Genuity VT Double PRO RIB Complete hybrid brings improved yield potential to the earliest relative maturity zone.
DKC23-21 is a very good hybrid for early-maturity zones with cooler weather at time of emergence. This hybrid has very good seedling vigour and above average plant health and disease tolerance. DKC23-21 has excellent harvest characteristics, including: stalk strength, drydown and test weight. It’s an early-season Roundup Ready Corn 2 hybrid with a solid agronomic package.
DKC32-12RIB is a new Genuity VT Double PRO RIB Complete hybrid that offers top-end yield potential and improved agronomics and a shorter stature compared to existing DeKalb products with an 82-day relative maturity. This hybrid has good ear flex and performance when under drought stress and finishes the year with excellent test weight and grain quality.
DKC37-93RIB is a hybrid that is strong all season long. It offers excellent seedling with outstanding late-season appearance, excellent grain quality and drydown and upper-end yield potential. This hybrid has very good stalk strength and test weight and provides dual modes of action for above-ground insect protection with the Genuity VT Double PRO RIB Complete trait.
DKC40-35RIB is a strong and stable hybrid that is versatile across all soil types and yield environments. It has excellent top-end yield potential and a great disease package, emerging strong out of the ground with excellent seedling vigour. This DeKalb Genuity VT Double PRO RIB Complete hybrid is a medium plant height with very good stalk strength, drydown and test weight.
DKC48-56RIB is a widely adaptable hybrid with top-end yield potential. This hybrid comes with the Genuity SmartStax RIB Complete trait, covering the broadest spectrum of above- and below-ground insect protection and providing maximum yield potential for both corn on corn and rotated ground. This hybrid’s excellent stalk strength contributes to its nice late-season appearance and standability. It has shown very good test weight and grain quality.
Pioneer
P7632AM (AM, LL, RR2) is a new performance leader rated at 2225 heat units with Optimum AcreMax, a single-bag refuge solution for above-ground insect protection. It has excellent root lodging tolerance with low plant stature and ear insertion plus good Northern leaf blight tolerance and average test weight.
P8387AM (AM, LL, RR2) is another Optimum AcreMax product with single-bag refuge for above-ground insect protection. Rated at 2500 heat units, it is an excellent dual-purpose product for grain corn or silage, with good standability and average test weight.
P8542AMX (AMX, LL, RR2) is an outstanding new product rated at 2550 heat units. This is another Optimum AcreMax Xtra product with single-bag refuge and above- and below-ground insect protection. A taller plant with low ear insertion, it shows good drought tolerance and its “good” disease protection package includes good tolerance to Northern leaf blight. Test weight is rated average.
P9188 is a new conventional version of leader genetics for the 2650 maturity area. This hybrid offers high yield performance and early flowering plus excellent root and stalk strength, and superb test weight.
P9224AM (AM, LL, RR2) is an exciting new Optimum AcreMax product. A single-bag refuge solution for above-ground insect protection, this hybrid is rated at 2675 heat units and is a solid companion to P9188AM or P9188AMX. It demonstrates excellent yield stability across different environments, with short stature, excellent disease tolerance and above-average test weight.
P9840AM (AM,LL,RR2) is a hybrid with strong yielding new genetics rated at 2925 heat units. It’s also an Optimum AcreMax product, a single-bag refuge solution for above-ground insect protection, and an excellent companion product for P9644AM and P0157AM. Short statured with relatively low ear placement, this hybrid offers excellent root strength and good drought tolerance, plus very good staygreen and good tolerance to Northern leaf blight.
P0157 is a conventional version of leader genetics for the 3000 heat unit maturity, with late flowering and very fast drydown. It’s an Optimum AQUAmax product that provides exceptional drought tolerance and a short plant with low ear insertion. It’s rated high for test weigh, very good for root strength and average for stalk strength.
P0242AMXT (AMXT,LL,RR2) is a new silage-specific product with Optimum AcreMax Xtreme, a single-bag solution for above- and below-ground insect protection. It’s a good option for corn-on-corn silage acres, with excellent tonnage and silage quality.
P0496 is another conventional version of leader genetics for the 3100 heat unit maturity. This is an Optimum AQUAmax product for exceptional drought tolerance and excellent yield potential, plus balanced agronomics for variable soils. It grows as a taller plant with very wide leaves for great standability.
P0677AMX (AMX,LL,RR2) is a new full-season brown mid-rib (BMR) product, for outstanding agronomic performance. It has the digestibility you expect from a BMR with tremendous yields, high starch, strong drought tolerance and robust disease package. It’s another Optimum AcreMax Xtra product, a single-bag refuge solution for above- and below-ground insect protection.
P1197AMXT (AMXT,LL,RR2) is a full-season product rated at 3400 heat units. It’s a yield leader for maturity for grain corn production and also has excellent silage tonnage and quality. This hybrid boasts extraordinary plant health and staygreen capacity, plus very good standability and moderate to tall plant height. It’s also an Optimum AcreMax Xtreme product, a single-bag refuge solution for above- and below-ground insect protection.
Pride Seeds
A4199G2 RIB is a new Pride Seeds G2 RIB Complete hybrid delivering above-ground insect control rated at 2175 CHUs. It offers very good drydown with visually attractive late-season appearance, plus strong agronomics with excellent spring vigour and a very early-flowering product with competitive yields.
A5095G2 RIB is an exciting new PRIDE Seeds G2 RIB Complete hybrid delivering above-ground insect control and conventional hybrid choice for 2475 CHUs areas. It features early flowering and finish, with long ear length and girth. It also features excellent kernel quality with high test weight and strong late-season stalk strength and intactness.
A6455G8 RIB is a new introductory Pride Seeds G8 RIB Complete hybrid delivering above- and below-ground insect control at 2825 CHUs. It’s high yielding with exceptional stalk and root strength, very solid agronomics to go with stable consistent yields, and reliable performance in many environments and soil types.
A6744G8 RIB is another new Pride Seeds G8 RIB Complete hybrid delivering above- and below-ground insect control at 2900 CHUs. Exceptionally high test weight with excellent late-season intactness and uniformity in plant and ear size, plus a wide harvest window for added management flexibility.
A6967 marks the introduction of the conventional version of proven yield leader Pride Seeds A7270G8. Highly consistent top-end yield rated at 3000 CHUs, this hybrid offers outstanding emergence, spring vigour, drought and stress tolerance. It also boasts exceptional late-season intactness, standability and drydown, making it an excellent dual-purpose silage and grain choice.
A8177G2 RIB is an introductory Pride Seeds G2 RIB Complete hybrid delivering above-ground insect control rated at 3325 CHUs. It’s a very showy plant with outstanding yield performance featuring healthy plants, great fall appearance and staygreen capacity, along with exceptional ear size consistency and attractive grain aspect. It also provides late-season standability for harvest timing freedom.
A8303G8 RIB is another new Pride Seeds G8 RIB Complete hybrid delivering above- and below-ground insect control. A full-season 3400 CHU grain and silage hybrid, it comes with exceptionally high yield performance and potential, as well as great yield stability in stress environments. It’s promoted to have excellent ear size and heavy weight, with visually appealing grain and excellent disease and drought tolerances.
Syngenta
N27P is a new NK corn hybrid, with a 2750 CHU rating, producing exciting yield levels and performing well across a range of soil types and under various conditions. Producing superb stalk strength for ease of harvest, N27P offers very good staygreen and drydown. This hybrid also contains Agrisure Artesian technology for healthier yields in dry years.
N33W is another new NK corn hybrid, offering great top-end yield and very good drought tolerance. At 2825 CHUs, this hybrid emerges strong and vigorous, and produces excellent grain quality and test weight. This hybrid includes the Agrisure Viptera 3110 trait stack for excellent control of above-ground insects.
N40F is a new NK corn hybrid that produces outstanding stalk strength for ease of harvest. Offering excellent drydown and good grain quality, N40F is a top yield performer. At 2950 CHUs, it contains defensive agronomic characteristics and superb tolerance to Northern corn leaf blight, making this hybrid an excellent choice to protect yield. This hybrid has the Agrisure 3010 trait and features season-long protection from European corn borer as well as herbicide flexibility with both glyphosate and glufosinate tolerance.
N50D is another new NK corn hybrid which adapts broadly and boasts top-end yield potential. With a 3100 CHU rating, N50D consistently produces excellent grain quality and test weight, making this a go-to hybrid. With a medium plant stature and strong stocks, N50D offers outstanding staygreen and plant health. Containing the Agrisure 3010 trait, it’s also protected all season from European corn borer and is tolerant to both glyphosate and glufosinate.
N58S is another NK corn hybrid, with top-end yield and sound agronomics for maximum performance. This is a great seed choice for highly productive and variable soils. With a short plant stature and very strong roots, this 3225 CHU hybrid boasts outstanding drought tolerance and dependable standability for consistent yields. This hybrid series is available with the Agrisure Viptera 3220 E-Z Refuge trait stack, the Agrisure Viptera 3111 trait stack or the Agrisure GT trait.
N66V is a new 3400 CHU NK corn hybrid, offering outstanding test weight and a great choice for growers cropping in this later-maturity group of Ontario. A strong foliar disease package helps to maximize yield potential, while excellent drydown and very good grain quality make this hybrid an exceptional choice for variable soil types. Triple stacked with Agrisure 3000GT, N66V provides glyphosate and glufosinate tolerance while protecting corn from corn borer and corn rootworm.
