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"One of the most important production
decisions facing producers each year is which soybean variety or
corn hybrid to grow on their farm," said Emerson Nafziger, crop
scientist with U of I Extension. "The variety testing program in the
Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois provides
accurate and unbiased performance data on a large number of soybean
varieties and hybrids so that growers can make the best choice
possible on what to plant."
He points out that the program is one
of the largest in the country and has served as a "neutral testing
ground" for more than 60 years for corn and for two to three decades
for other crops. The corn entries in this year's trials were tested
at a dozen sites throughout Illinois, while the soybean varieties
were tested at 13 different sites.
"There were 134 conventional varieties
and 661 Roundup-resistant varieties from 70 companies in the latest
soybean trials, while the corn trials included 370 hybrids from 51
different seed companies," Nafziger said. "The total number of
soybean varieties included 244 that were nominated by Illinois
farmers and entered directly by the Illinois Soybean Checkoff
Board."
Nafziger notes that the quickest way to
find results from these
trials is on the website for the U of I's Department of Crop
Sciences. Printed versions are published in Illinois AgriNews during
mid-November. Paper copies can also be obtained from most U of I
Extension offices after early December.
"Corn yields were excellent in northern
and central Illinois," Nafziger said. "Regional averages in
northern, west-central and east-central trials were over 200 bushels
per acre. Individual location yield averages were as high as 229
bushels at Erie and 227 bushels at New Berlin and none lower than
190 bushels in northern and central Illinois."
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He adds that the average corn yield in
the southern region was much lower, at 128 bushels per acre, with
delayed planting accounting for much of the reduction. Soybeans
followed a much different trend, with yields average to below
average over most the state.
"The highest yields were seen in Region
3, which includes Urbana, New Berlin and Perry in central Illinois,"
Nafziger said. "Maturity group averages were in the mid- to
high-50-bushel-per-acre range for Region 3. Regional yield averages
in the remainder of the state ranged from the high- to
low-40-bushel-per-acre range."
According to Nafziger, the lower
soybean yields were caused by hot and dry weather in August and a
host of disease and insect problems, such as SDS, charcoal rot and
the soybean aphid.
"When trial yields are considerably
lower than a four- or five-average, the usefulness of the data to
predict performance next year is somewhat limited," Nafziger said.
"Unless we expect low yields, it might be best to discount the
low-yield trials."
He points out that, while company data
and recommendations are essential in deciding what seed to buy this
fall for planting in 2004, the U of I variety trial results
represent the only place to find so many hybrids and varieties
compared to each other in the same trials.
"Companies
know their products better than anyone else, but they may not have
much information on how their varieties perform compared to those
from other companies," Nafziger said. "Many producers also like to
double-check to see how the seed they ordered stacks up against the
competition. If the seed company participates in the university
trials, these trials usually represent the best source of such
information."
[University
of Illinois news release]
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