Let Hybrids Tell You What They Need
Obtain Hybrid-Specific Data
From the moment your seed touches the soil, every decision you make affects the ROI potential of that seed. Response-To Scores can help you determine how a particular hybrid will perform under different management strategies. According to seven years of Answer Plot® data, there is a potential loss or gain of 90 bushels per acre based on these four factors:
- Response to continuous corn
- Response to population
- Response to nitrogen
- Reponse to fungicide
A 90-bushel-per-acre swing can be the difference between operating at a loss and having a banner year, so be sure to factor these scores into 2018 seed decisions if you haven’t finalized your purchases. If you’ve chosen your hybrids, you can still use this data to help ensure you give those hybrids what they need throughout the growing season.
Ensure Inputs Count
Response-To-Nitrogen and Response-To-Fungicide scores can help you determine how your hybrids will react to applications before you invest in these inputs, so you can weigh possible yield gain against application costs.
For example, Answer Plot® data, which tests the Response-To-Fungicide scores of 240 hybrids every year, shows that you’re more likely to see post-application yield increases from hybrids with high Response-To-Fungicide scores. In 2017, Answer Plot® data showed an average yield response of 11.2 bushels per acre following fungicide applications on fields with hybrids that had high Response-To-Fungicide scores; knowing the variance of each hybrid is important, which ranged from 0 to 37 bushels.
Work with your agronomist to review this information for each of your hybrids and use it to help guide management decisions now and throughout the growing season.