Corn School: Comparing fixed vs. flex hybrids

Not all corn fields are created equal. Some will produce higher profits when planted with a fixed ear hybrid, others will benefit from a flex ear hybrid, and some fields will perform best with a bit of both.
In this episode of RealAgriculture Corn School, Pride Seeds market agronomist Aaron Stevanus explains the basic difference between fixed and flex hybrids. He also shares management strategies for employing the different hybrids throughout your farm operation and across fields.
Stevanus says fixed ear hybrids are the product of a new corn breeding style that produces stout, consistent-sized ears throughout a range of plant populations - from 28,000 to 38,000. The idea here is to maintain consistent ear size and increase yield through higher populations.
Flex hybrids perform much differently. These hybrids have the ability to flex and create larger ears with more girth at lower populations. They produce higher yields when planted at 28,000 to 32,000.
In the video, Stevanus collects ears and calculates yield estimates to demonstrate how the fixed and flex hybrids perform when planted at different populations. The yield results illustrate how fixed hybrids can produce a significant yield increase just by simply pushing populations while flex hybrids can deliver higher yields at lower populations and also save seed costs.
#farming #agriculture #corn #agronomy

[@tf7274]

High pop on a drought year is never broadcast or advertised. Given the drought in 2020 and 2021 here in Southern Manitoba...anything over 34k would have had zero cobs...it wasn't a 20 bu difference...it was a 120bu difference between 28k and 36k plant pop.