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NE CO | It looks like you have lots of good recommendations already, but I'll throw in my 2 cents worth too. I shoot for about 60 bu/ac in a normal year. I started planting corn about 15 years ago at 14K/ac, then bumped it up to 16K. After a number of dry years with low yields, I backed of to 8-9K/ac. I do try and choose varieties which will set a second ear if conditions are right. Last year, I had a field where 6" of rain fell gently over two days, and it ended up yielding just at 100 bu/ac. The other fields which didn't get those rains all made 30-50 bu/ac. I'm convinced that double earring corns can approach maximum yield potential in dryland conditions at low populations (8K). The downside is that these low populations do have weed problems, as the canopy just doesn't get thick enough to shade out late emerging weeds. Skip row planting is also a good option. Most growers in my area have abandoned the idea because of Federal Crop Insurance rules that penalize them too much for the yield benefit they receive. It still makes good agronomic sense for low rainfall areas with expected yields below about 80 bu/ ac however. | |
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Dryland Corn Plant
