Jerome
County raised 19,000 acres of silage corn in 2003 to feed the
150,500 cows and calves living in the county.
Seeding Successful Corn
By
Jo Ann Robbins, Extension Educator/Crops
For
maximum yield, get your silage corn off to a good start.
Aspects to consider are:
variety or hybrid selection, seed quality, seed
treatment, soil condition, soil temperature, planting depth, and
seeding rate.
Choose
a corn variety or hybrid with a maturity rating that suits the
location of your farm.
Consider
your history of diseases and insects.
Trust only locally conducted yield trial data.
On large acreages, consider planting several varieties or
hybrids to minimize risks.
Start
with high quality seed and protect it from seed-borne and soil
fungi with a seed treatment.
Germinating seeds and seedlings need protection,
especially in cool wet springs.
Prepare
a friable seed bed and avoid creating compaction zones which
lead to planting depth problems and skips in the stand.
Clods hinder seed to soil contact, but fine, overworked
soil will tend to crust.
Conserve
or replenish soil moisture.
In order to have rapid, even seed germination, the soil
should be at 70 to 100% of field capacity at the seed level.
Soil that is too wet or too dry will result in reduced
seed germination. Other
factors that reduce germination are high pH levels, elevated
salt or sodium levels and herbicide carryover or misapplication.
Plant
your corn at the optimum time.
Early planting results in maximum yield.
Because of day length differences, early corn tends to
shorter growth with more grain, resulting in high grain silage.
Later planting results in taller corn, resulting in
silage with more stover.
However,
soil that is too cold will slow and reduce germination.
At planting, soil temperatures at seeding depth should
average 55 F for 2 to 3 days in a row.
To measure, insert soil thermometer into soil with tip of
probe at planting depth, or slightly below.
Read at 8 a.m. and again at 4 p.m., average the readings
for the average temperature for the day.
Seeds will germinate at temperatures between 50 and 55
F, however a uniform stand is more probable at 55 F and
above.
Planting
depths between 1 ½ and 2 ½ inches are appropriate, depending
on conditions. A
shallower depth is good for cold or wet soils, while deeper is
better in warm or drier soils.
In
order to attain the desired 30,000 to 38,000 kernels/acre, make
sure your corn planter is working properly.
Seed rate depends on variety or hybrid
but generally,
light seeding rates result in low yields and more weeds.
At planting, the goal is to place the seed in the best
conditions possible for a resulting good stand of healthy,
equally mature plants.
