Progress Report No. 118 April 1984 CORN HYBRID MATURITY RATING FOR ALABAMA Darrell Williams' THE NUMBER OF DAYS a corn hybrid requires from planting to maturity for silage or for grain harvest is an important consideration for farmers. Although seed companies rate their own hybrids, little information is available which compares the maturity of a large number of hybrids grown under the same environmental and cultural conditions. An experiment was planted at the Plant Breeding Unit near Tallassee, Alabama, to accurately deter- mine for the 89 corn hybrids tested in the regular corn hybrid yield trials the number of days required from planting to silage harvest time (approximately 35 percent moisture in the grain), and to combine ready (approximately 25 percent moisture). Two rows 30 feet long were planted April 26, 1983. All plots were treated equally with a nitrogen rate of 30 pounds N per acre at planting and 100 pounds N sidedressed. The plant population was 20,000 plants per acre. Weeds were controlled with 3 pounds per acre of Sutan+ Rand 11. pounds per acre of Atrazine, along with two cultivations. Ten pounds of Fura- dan R15 G per acre was applied in furrow at planting for early insect control. Harvest were made twice per week from August 2 through September 9. Each harvest consisted of three ears randomly taken from each plot. The ears were shelled immediately, and moisture measured with a Burrows model 700 digital moisture computer. If the grain was higher in mois- 'Technical Assistant, Department of Agronomy and Soils. ture than the meter would read, the grain was weighed at harvest, partially dried, and then re- weighed and moisture measured with the Burrows machine. The weight lost during drying was calcu- lated to determine the high moisture values. The table shows the grain moisture percent mea- sured at each harvest and the days after planting for each harvest date. The boldface moisture readings occurring with each hybrid are the first harvest dates to show a 35 percent, or silage ready grain moisture, and a 25 percent, or combine ready grain moisture. It should be noted, however, that grain over 25 percent moisture cannot be directly marketed and usually must be dried to at least 20 percent before the elevator will accept it in Alabama. A producer may need on-farm drying and/or storage facilities to take advantage of early harvesting of high moisture corn. The rainfall record at the Plant Breeding Unit dur- ing July (the month preceding harvest) and the August through early September harvest period is shown below: Date Inches Date Inches Date Inches July 1....... 0.52 August 1 .... 0.08 September 1 .. 1.00 5........ .13 2...45 2 .04 16....... .96 3 ... trace 3 .42 18 .... trace 4...06 5 .60 19 .... .03 5 ... trace 6...97 24 . ... trace 11 ... 76 25 ... 1.49 22 .. trace 31....... .75 25....04 27 .. trace Corn Grain Moisture Percentage From Twelve Harvests, and Days From Planting to Harvest on 89 Hybrids Planted at Tallassee, Alabama, April 26, 1983 Pct. moisture. bv harvest date and days after ulantinv' 8/2 8/5 8/9 8/12 8/16 8/19 8/23 8/26 (99) (102) (1066) (109) (13)116) (120) (123) 8/30 9/2 9/6 9/9 (127) (130) (134) (137) 53 49 41 311 34 28 27 24 23 23 23 22 4 65 50 47 44 38 35 30 34 27 26 24 24 7 50 42 36 35 27 27 25 23 17 20 21 19 3 56 48 40 39 35 35 28 28 27 25 25 24 6 31 31 31 27 36 31 31 28 34 27 38 37 28 28 29 27 31 29 33 28 29 25 31 :32 36 34 31 28 ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION GALE A. BUCHANAN, DIRECTOR AUBURN UNIVERSITY AUBURN UNIVERSITY, ALABAMA Brand Asgrow Coker DeKalb FFR Funks Ranking 2 Hybrid RX 114 RX 405W RX 777 RX 962A 16 19 1 9A 21 22 77B 8:33W X1L71 TXS115A TI1230 848C 905C 929W G-4522 G-4507A G-4578 G-4589 G-4611 G-4689 G-4787W G-4740A Corn Grain Moisture Percentage From Twelve Harvests, and Days From Planting to Harvest on 89 Hybrids Planted at Tallassee, Alabama, April 26, 1983 Pct. moisture, by harvest date and days after planting' Brand Hybrid 8/2 8/5 8/9 8/12 8/16 8/19 8/23 8/26 8/30 9/2 9/6 9/9 Ranking 2 (99) (102) (106) (109) (113) (116) (120) (123) (127) (130) (134) (137) Funks G-4733 G-4747W G-4779W Gold Kist GK 615 GK 695 GK 868 GK 875 GK 925 Golden H2500 Harvest H2660W H 2680 H2686 H2275A H2745 Jacques JX167 JX180 JX247 7780 7900 8400 McCurdy 84AA 5596 7978 81-34 8150 8172 82-21 Northrup PX 74 King PX 79 PX 83 PX 87 PX 95 9415 9527 O's Gold 2570 6882 PAG SX 239 SX 275 SX 351 SX-373 Paymaster 8951 9902 12052A Pioneer 519 3147 3165 3184 3187 3320 3358 3369A Ring Around 1404 1502 1604 2602W 2606W 36()5W Todd M95 M5505 M7300 M8800 Zimmerman Zl1W Z52W Z53W Mean moisture pct. 39 30 30 28 26 24 40 31 30 28 28 21 40 38 33 29 30 22 33 26 25 19 18 14 35 29 27 23 20 17 38 32 29 25 25 16 41 29 29 28 27 21 42 32 30 24 27 21 38 28 27 22 21 16 41 30 32 28 30 27 42 30 32 25 25 23 38 32 31 28 25 22 37 32 34 31 27 26 38 30 32 26 27 27 37 27 26 20 19 14 36 29 27 21 22 16 42 34 30 25 27 24 38 31 28 23 22 17 35 28 26 24 19 16 40 30 31 30 26 20 37 33 30 27 24 27 32 23 23 19 15 13 38 30 30 26 23 20 38 31 32 26 26 21 38 30 32 25 27 25 41 37 34 29 29 24 41 37 35 30 32 28 37 29 26 24 27 14 38 30 29 24 24 17 36 31 28 27 23 22 42 37 29 28 24 23 43 34 34 31 30 27 32 23 24 20 19 14 40 31 39 24 22 17 37 29 29 25 19 20 39 30 26 24 20 18 31 22 21 19 17 13 34 30 27 22 18 16 37 27 27 21 22 16 40 32 34 27 25 21 40 30 31 28 25 20 44 34 35 31 30 28 43 39 40 36 39 32 43 38 35 29 29 23 44 33 34 33 30 28 40 32 33 30 28 25 39 32 29 26 24 21 42 34 28 26 26 20 39 31 31 27 27 17 36 28 30 26 25 22 36 27 27 23 22 16 37 31 27 22 20 16 36 31 28 25 24 21 41 33 30 27 23 22 42 32 31 32 29 26 38 31 33 29 30 27 43 39 33 31 31 24 44 31 :33 30 27 24 39 33 28 23 2'3 18 39 31 27 22 22 16 38 30 32 23 24 18 40 34 32 30 29 27 42 36 33 32 34 27 42 37 34 30 33 26 39 32 30 26 25 21 'Numbers in parenthesis are days from planting to harvest for each harvest date. 'Ranking of 1 to 8:1 = earliest maturing hybrid, 8 latest maturing hybrid. Hybrids having the same number matured on the same harvest date. 'The two bold numbers for each hybrid identify the first harvest dates to show a 35 percent and 25 percent grain moisture content (silage ready and combine ready, respectively). Information contained herein is available to all persons regardless of'race, color, sex, or national origin.