Variety testing trials offer seed selection guide

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — It was a good year for corn and soybean production based on the data from the University of Illinois Department of Crop Sciences’ variety testing trials across the state.

Results of this year’s soybean and corn trials are featured in this week’s Illinois AgriNews and also available on the Crop Sciences website to provide farmers, Extension personnel and seed companies with agronomic information such as yield and quality.

Soybean plots were located at Fenton, Freeport, DeKalb, Monmouth, Goodfield, Dwight, Perry, New Berlin, Urbana, Belleville, St. Peter, Elkville and Harrisburg.

Corn trials were conducted at DeKalb, Freeport, Fenton, Perry, Monmouth, New Berlin, Dwight, Goodfield, Urbana, St. Peter, Elkville and Belleville.

Corn

“The yield averages were probably as high as or higher than last year. New Berlin was the standout with 11 plots surpassing 300 bushels per acres, compared to eight varieties over 300 in 2021,” said Darin Joos, Crop Sciences principal research agronomist.

“Goodfield did really well with a 277 average. I actually expected it to do better. It had near-perfect growing conditions.”

As the growing season progressed, there were several dry pockets, yet yields were better than expected.

“I think the stunner is Urbana. We were super dry in the severe drought zone according to the National Weather Service. Urbana only had 16 inches of rain for the entire growing season, compared to 19 inches at Goodfield. I thought that corn was probably going to be like 180 bushels per acre and it ended up averaging 237. It took advantage of what little rain it had,” Joos noted.

He didn’t see any major problems with diseases or insects.

“I saw some tar spot symptoms on the plants in the north, but if it did any yield damage it was insignificant,” he said.

On the corn side, data from the Fenton site was not used due to an herbicide misapplication, and the St. Peter corn trials were not used “because the data was too variable to use.”

The corn trials featured 174 hybrids from 19 companies and included various maturities and some non-GMO hybrids as well.

The east-central corn trials in Dwight, Goodfield and Urbana averaged 255 bushels per acre for corn; northern region of DeKalb and Freeport averaged 230; west-central Monmouth, Perry and New Berlin, 264; and the south region of St. Peter, Belleville and Elkville, 240.

Soybeans

It was much the same yield story on the soybean side that featured 195 varieties from 24 companies.

“There were a lot of soybean yields in the 70s and 80s. It was a good year for soybeans. We used all of the locations this year. Elkville probably struggled just because of some heavy rains after planting,” Joos said.

There were no issues with disease and insect pressure in the soybean plots.

Soybean yields in Region 1 in Fenton, Freeport and DeKalb averaged 78.7 bushels per acre across all trials; Region 2 in Monmouth, Goodfield and Dwight, 79.2; Region 3 in Perry, New Berlin and Urbana, 74.2; Region 4 in Belleville and St. Peter, 75.4; and Region 5 in Elkville and Harrisburg, 75.6.

Protein and oil contents for soybean varieties will be included on the website data in the near future.

Independent Trials

U of I’s variety testing program began in 1934. The trials are professionally managed and conducted in a research-based manner to minimize variability and ensure the integrity of the results and offers a premier source of objective third party information on current varieties.

The corn trials included various maturities, insecticide seed treatments, genetic trials, herbicide trait trials and non-GMO products.

Yields and moisture content are reported for each hybrid from each trial site. Two-year and three-year yield averages are also documented for some hybrids.

The soybean trials featured herbicide traits and conventional varieties and various seed treatments.

Yields along with protein and oil content were documented for each variety, as well as two-year and three-year yield averages various varieties.