Factors to consider when selecting seed

Seed selection weighs on farmers’ minds every season. Seed cost represents 12% of total corn production costs and 10% of total soybean production costs, according to Purdue University’s “Crop Cost and Return Guide.” This number illustrates the significant risk a farmer’s seed decision makes to the overall operation.

But farmers may now make decisions differently because of the changes in the economy, says Jim Shertzer, head of branded marketing with Syngenta. “In a down economy, you’re going to need the best out of every acre, and you need maximized production,” he says.

Maximizing yield and maximizing profit are not always the same. When selecting seed products, farmers should evaluate their economic and agronomic conditions, and determine which priorities are most important.

Corn seed selection

Hybrid selection is one of the most important corn management decisions. The genetic yield potential of different corn hybrids varies greatly, directly impacting yield, as well as input costs.

“The right hybrid, the right situation, the right farm is of utmost importance,” says Craig Moore, corn lead with Beck’s Hybrids. “The driving factor behind hybrid selection should be from a regional perspective on where a grower is located, down to the soil type on that specific farm. Both play a crucial role in the outcome and success of each product.”

Emergence scores

The early-season seedbed can be inhospitable for corn seeds and seedlings. Scott Walker, corn product marketing manager with Corteva, says growers should pay attention to emergence ratings when making corn decisions, especially when planting early. “Emergence scores are key,” he asserts. “You want to make sure that if [a seed] has a lower emergence score, keep it in the shed a couple of weeks longer until you have a favorable long-term forecast.”

Walker also advises considering seed treatments to protect stands from disease and insect pests, particularly in the early season. “The combination of genetics and seed treatment is something growers need to look at,” he says.

Diversity reduces risk

Just as a diverse financial portfolio helps spread investment risk, selecting a diverse mix of hybrid maturities can reduce yield risk. “There’s not a perfect hybrid out there; they each have strengths and weaknesses,” says Brent Tharp, technical product manager for Wyffels Hybrids. “If you only plant one or two hybrids, and they share a common risk, and that risk factor hits, you’re really paying the price. So, it’s good to spread that risk over different genetics.”

A range of relative maturities also reduces risk. “The rule of thumb is to plant 50% in your target maturity, and then plant 25% two to four days later in your relative maturity, and 25% two to four days earlier,” Tharp suggests.

Consistency is key

The key to picking hybrids that perform well is observing documented consistency from yield performance in test plots. Jeff Coulter, Extension specialist at the University of Minnesota, recommends studying yield trials at various locations. “Gather results from as many sources of information as possible and as many trials as possible,” he says.

Evaluate a hybrid’s performance relative to the trial’s average yield. Coulter recommends hybrids that consistently yield in the top 20%.

“Hybrids can then be further filtered for traits important to your operation, such as resistance to foliar diseases in a continuous-corn situation,” he concludes.

Understanding ear flex and management

Corn ear type can be determinate (fixed size), flex (variable size), or some variation. Flex-ear hybrids can adjust ear size, depending on growing conditions. Understanding how a hybrid flexes (girth, length, kernel) can impact management decisions, say Kevin Gale and Josh Johnston, agronomists for AgriGold.

“First, we place the hybrid to match genetics and soil type; then, we can implement management strategies,” Johnston says. “For example, if the hybrid flexes by kernel depth, that’s at the end of the life cycle. In this scenario, management needs to be focused on that segment of the life cycle to get the most potential out of the hybrid.”

“If an ear flexes by length,” Gale adds, “that product sets up over a long period of time from about V8 to tassel. Whether we’re talking about ear length, girth, or kernel depth, those management decisions need to be made ahead of time to put ourselves in a good position during that segment.”

Talk about traits

Insect trait protection technology can help reduce the risk of insect-feeding damage such as stalk and root lodging, dropped ears, and yield loss. To protect most corn production areas, identify the possible insect pests and select the proper traits for control.

There are lots of options, Jason Harmon, technical agronomist with DEKALB Asgrow, assures.

“I like to look at the hybrid first and then the trait, unless I’m going into a situation where I know what pest I have to fight against,” he says. “If I know I have rootworm concerns, I instantly start making sure I’m looking for that trait, and then the hybrid.”

Knowing your insect pressure helps in hybrid selection, says Tharp.

“I encourage growers to dig roots regardless of the trait in some fields, just to make sure you know what’s going on from a rootworm perspective,” he says, “and if the traits that you’re planting are holding up.”

Tight margins make this more important; making an uninformed decision can cost you, Tharp says.

“Sometimes we do not need a fully traited package hybrid,” he notes. “We can get by with lesser traits, which are lesser costs.”

Consider disease resistance

When weighing hybrid disease tolerance, it’s important to consider historical disease trends in specific fields or regions. For example, acres in continuous corn, where diseases overwinter in residue, require stronger disease tolerance.

In recent years, tar spot has become a disease of focus. “In northern Indiana, tar spot is an evolving disease,” says Harmon. “We’ve seen the worst of it in 2021, and we know what it can do. We’re advancing hybrids that have better tolerances to tar spot and utilizing those in the areas with tar spot pressure.”

Also consider applying fungicide. If that is not a likely option, look for hybrid disease packages with above-average disease ratings.

“Are farmers willing to utilize a fungicide? Can they get it applied in a timely manner? Or is there an area they can’t apply fungicide or don’t want to?” Harmon advises. “Then, we can adjust to choose a hybrid that will be able to give us better tolerances against those diseases.”

Soybean seed selection

Despite rising demand for soy and soybean oil, many deem soybeans an afterthought to corn. But consider soybean variety selection as critically as corn hybrid selection.

“A lot of growers have the mentality that we plant soybeans to get back to corn,” says Chris Conner, general manager of Waters Farm Supply in Cumberland, Iowa. “There’s a ton of yield loss, just because farmers pick up a tender full of beans, all one number, and plant them wherever. We need to think of beans the same way as we do corn.”

Consider field environment

When deciding on seed, it may be tempting to pick a variety with the highest yield potential, but keep other factors in mind.

“We start with the environment,” says Marc Hoobler, northern region agronomy lead at BASF. “We don’t start with yield, because yield is not predictable.”

The Corn Belt has faced several years of heat and drought pressure, making weather tolerance an important factor. For fields with less water-holding capacity, consider a drought-tolerant variety that builds yield along the main stem.

Disease and pest pressures also can rob yields. Tolerant and resistant varieties offer the best control.

“People joke that we don’t have the control over yield [in soybeans] that we do in corn,” says Andrew Penney, a technical agronomist for Bayer Crop Science. “There are a lot of characteristics and traits for disease and insect resistance that can impact yield, so understanding resistance is very important.”

Detailed field history records can help align seed packages with the right environment, ensuring yield protection. Overusing unnecessary traits can have negative consequences.

“We only want to use a trait when we need it,” says Tanner Johnson, a member of the American Soybean Association board of directors. “We’re going to build resistance if we abuse those traits. We’re just trying to stay a half step ahead of Mother Nature.”

Consider maturity groups

Planting and harvest goals can help guide maturity-group decisions. Usually, the highest yield potential belongs to a long-season variety.

Selecting several maturity groups can allow early harvesting of some fields, limiting risk and making harvest easier.

“After soybeans reach full maturity [R8], they aren’t going to get any better sitting out in the field,” Josh Gunther, product lead for Burrus Seed, says in a blog. “If we can vary our harvest windows by switching maturities, it can help us not only capture more yield but also have better-quality grain.”

While maturity groups are important, flexibility is key. In many cases, factors such as herbicide tolerance are more important when looking to maximize yields.

Rotate traits

Knowing each variety’s tolerance for disease is helpful, but knowing the source of that tolerance can offer even greater returns. For example, 95% of soybean varieties use plant introduction (PI) 88788 for soybean cyst nematode (SCN) resistance. But that is becoming less effective. A 2019 Iowa State University study found switching to a Peking-based variety could offer a 22 bushels-per-acre (bpa) yield increase and $200 more per acre. Conducting soil tests for SCN levels can also offer insight into the best varieties for control.

Consult with an agronomist or seek out company seed guides to better understand the technologies each seed variety offers.

Rotating seed traits can also help increase the longevity of herbicides in the face of weed resistance. “Take advantage of all the options industry partners have offered farmers by rotating different modes of action with herbicide or rotating traits,” the Soybean Association’s Johnson says.

When rotating to soybeans, herbicide trait considerations also are important. Avoiding the same herbicide package can also allow flexibility in controlling volunteer corn.

Stay informed on legislation

Increased scrutiny of herbicides, pesticides, and other inputs could add extra difficulty to seed decisions. Changes to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) registration process could put popular options at risk.

“Knowing what traits are going to be available and permissible for us to plant, as well as what herbicides we’ll be able to spray is key,” the Soybean Association’s Johnson says.

While dicamba was a hot-button issue earlier this year, all agricultural chemicals will be reviewed as their registrations expire. The EPA’s 2022 Endangered Species Act Workplan requires significant data to ensure compliance with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). For many companies, that data isn’t available, putting chemical availability at risk.

When looking to 2025, consider having a backup plan if certain chemicals are unable to be applied.

Work with trusted advisers

Using their expertise and field records, trusted advisers, such as local agronomists and seed dealers, can provide thoughtful recommendations. Some companies have released dealer-facing software to ease seed selection.

For example, BASF’s xarvio Field Manager uses field data and modeling experience to build input recommendations. The program evaluates variety characteristics and matches them to field environments.

“We know that farmers don’t want to dive into endless amounts of data,” says Justin Gayliard, head of North America digital farming at BASF. “They want to be out there farming. The xarvio Field Manager program is a holistic agronomic enablement platform. It’s helping the agronomic adviser to be more efficient and to really utilize years of research and trial data to maximize that yield for the grower.”