3 ways to maximize corn yields in 2022

AMES, Iowa — Agronomists at Golden Harvest recommend three corn management practices to maximize yield potential.

According to research, optimizing corn seeding rate, implementing narrow row spacing and enhancing nutrient management are ideas to consider this planting season.

1. Select the optimum corn seeding rate for your fields.

When thinking about planting density, the goal is to maximize the number of ears per acre while maintaining kernels per ear and kernel size.

“But optimizing seeding rates can be complicated,” said Bruce Battles, technical agronomy manager for Syngenta. “Optimum seeding rates vary with soil productivity levels and hybrids can respond differently to population increases, making seeding rate selection difficult.”

To help determine seeding rates, Battles recommends starting with seeding rate trial data. The Golden Harvest seeding rate trial data is used to update the Corn Seeding Rate Calculator on the Golden Harvest website at tinyurl.com/5azpmcrj.

“The calculator is a great tool for applying specific seeding rates to Golden Harvest hybrids when building variable rate planter scripts this spring,” Battles said.

Battles encouraged farmers to consider the agronomics of corn hybrids before locking in final seeding rates.

For some hybrids, increased seeding rates can lead to greater risk of root and stalk lodging and may not realize any gain in yield potential. Meanwhile, some fixed ear hybrids are extremely population driven and consistently respond to increasing seeding rates.

2. Determine the right row spacing for your cornfields.

“If a grower wants to adopt higher seeding rates, then the evaluation of row spacing becomes more important every year,” said Steve Wilkens, Golden Harvest agronomy manager. “We’ve found consistently that narrow rows allow for greater yield potential.”

Like seeding rate, row spacing response in corn is heavily dependent on the environment and hybrids planted.

As corn farmers adopt higher seeding rates, narrowing row spacing may be a way to see additional yield benefits while minimizing lodging risks.

“Narrow rows allow for an increased seeding rate without crowding plants closer together within the row, resulting in less interplant competition,” Battles said.

“Since the average corn seeding rate in the U.S. is increasing by an average of 400 seeds per acre per year, implementing narrow rows will be a necessary management practice to accommodate growing plant populations somewhere in the near future.”

Row spacing less than 30 inches wide is considered narrow rows.

Battles noted that switching to narrow row spacing requires significant commitment to change in wheel spacing and narrow row headers that will take time to recoup. He also reiterated that narrow row spacing may not make sense for every farmer and every acre.

“Hybrids in different geographies respond differently to changes in row spacing,” Battles said. “I suggest farmers contact their local seed adviser to select a hybrid that performs well in narrower rows in their yield environments.”

3. Balance your fields’ soil nutrients.

Soil fertility is a crucial component of high yield potential corn production. But more isn’t always better.

“It’s not about just adding more nutrients,” Wilkens said. “It’s about careful nutrient placement and timing to make sure we can grow good corn, even on a conservative nutrient budget. We want to be as efficient as possible and see a return on our investment.”

Wilkens recommends farmers place nutrients in a concentrated area around plant roots to enhance nutrient uptake and ultimately make the plant more efficient in producing kernels.

Understanding the correct amount of fertilizer to apply is also important, as excessive levels of one nutrient will affect the uptake of others.

For example, inadequate potassium soil levels may reduce the effectiveness of adding more nitrogen, which can, in turn, harm late-season stalk integrity.

“Oftentimes, nutrient imbalances show up in late-season standability and stalk integrity, which slow down the combine, increase fuel use and decrease efficiency at harvest,” Wilkens said. “These are costs we can avoid when we understand nutrients and where they’re needed.”