Is It Time To Switch To Earlier Maturing Corn Hybrids?
The rainy weather is causing major delays in corn planting throughout Ohio. It’s likely that most corn will not be planted during the recommended time period which is mid April through the first week of May. Yields decline approximately 1 to1.5 bushel/acre/day beyond the first week of May. Is there a need to switch from full season to shorter season hybrids due to these weather delays? Probably not – in most situations full season hybrids will perform satisfactorily (i.e.,will achieve physiological maturity or “black layer” before a killing frost) even when planted as late as May 20, if not later in some regions of the state. Results of recent studies evaluating hybrid response to delayed planting dates indicate that hybrids of varying maturity can “adjust” their growth and development in response to a shortened growing season. A hybrid planted in late May will mature at a faster thermal rate (i.e. require fewer heat units) than the same hybrid planted in late April or early May). In O
