The past 15 to 20 years have seen a tremendous evolution in corn breeding and trait development, from Bt and corn rootworm hybrids to stacked trait technologies, not to mention the adoption of multi-purpose hybrids.
In that same time frame, however, there’s been a display of defiance from producers who demand a dedicated silage hybrid for their operations. The development of brown mid-rib (BMR) hybrids is just one indication of that specialization, much the same way some growers opt for identity-preserved (IP) soybeans versus glyphosate-tolerant varieties.
That there is such a specific demand for silage hybrids only strengthens the resolve of certain companies to do more — not less — for silage research and breeding. Such is the case for DuPont Pioneer. Since 2012, the company has been refocusing its research on increased silage populations and the impact on milk production and feed quality. Most of that work has been carried out in New York state, plus some sites in Vermont.
The 2014 growing season was the first year the same research was conducted in Ontario, specifically in the east. According to Paul Hermans, area agronomist for eastern Ontario and the Maritimes, and Martina Pfister, dairy specialist, the plan for 2015 is for Pioneer to expand beyond the 20 plots in eastern Ontario in 2014 and to have some farther south and west in the province, as well as in Quebec.
Increasing plant population has been a primary step in pushing grain corn yield for the past decade, especially across the U.S. Midwest and into Ontario. Dr. Fred Below, corn physiologist from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, cites plant population as one of his “Seven Wonders” of corn yield, ranking fifth behind weather, nitrogen, hybrid selection and the previous crop. Seeding rates and plants per acre have become integral terms in many discussions, from residue management to soil fertility levels, and from tillage practices to the development of markets for corn residue byproducts.
But what’s integral to one facet of corn production may not have the same impact in another. Yield is seemingly all that matters in grain corn, so pushing higher plant densities translates to more bushels per acre. But milk production and digestibility are just as vital in silage hybrids. Indeed, to some producers, they’re more important. So driving higher plant populations must be tempered with the impact on the crop’s quality, and that’s not a linear relationship.
“Sometimes you can have a hybrid that’s not the best from a grain standpoint, but we take a look and determine what silage characteristics it has, and whether it meets our criteria that would make it a good silage hybrid,” says Hermans, based in Richmond just southwest of Ottawa. “Then we make a recommendation to advance that product just for a silage-only type of hybrid.”
Now, the milk-per-acre and milk-per-tonne calculations are also key determinants in silage trials. And Pfister agrees that what may look promising in a grain corn hybrid may not measure up in its value as a silage option. Starch content and digestibility for a dairy cow — and how those translate to milk production — also must be examined in higher population scenarios.
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