Penn State Extension and the Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania released 2105 Pennsylvania Corn Hybrid Silage Trial Results. You can evaluate hybrids based on many factors including: yield, digestibility, crude protein, fiber content, and derived values such as milk per acre and Mill per ton.
The results of our cooperative corn hybrid silage evaluation trials conducted collaboratively with the Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania can be found here.
Five sets of tests have been conducted across 10 locations in the state. Early, Medium and Late Maturity hybrid evaluations were conducted at three location in northern, central and south central counties, respectively. An additional set of two trials evaluated early hybrids in south central PA. A final set of four tests evaluated BMR hybrids across south central PA.
Yields this year were generally good with a few sites impacted by the late season dry weather. This caused some to have higher dry matter concentrations at harvest than we planned for, but this was fairly common with this year’s crop. When using these trials it is always best to rely on the multi-location data as the best indicator of future hybrid performance. All of the data are presented in excel spreadsheets, with hybrids segregated in early and late subgroups that they were entered in by the seed companies. Hybrids are sorted by dry matter. Avoid making comparisons for quality among hybrids that differ significantly for dry matter, as this can affect both yield and starch content. Each combined spreadsheet contains two charts that compare the yield and either the milk/ton or milk/acre. In the BMR tests, fiber digestibility was measured with wet chemistry. All other analysis were done using NIR.
We have included some additional documents that provide the individual field history and the contact information for participating seed companies. Thanks are due to the collaborators who provided land for testing, seed companies, and the Professional Dairy Managers of Pennsylvania for their contributions. This is part of a broader effort to study hybrid impacts on silage quality.
Source: psu.edu