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Evaluation of DEKALB® Brand Corn Products in the South

December 14, 2023

TRIAL OBJECTIVE

Each season the Bayer Learning Center at Scott, Mississippi evaluates market leading DEKALB® brand corn products for adaptability to the southern corn growing region.
These experiments are conducted at Scott on different alluvial delta soil types. The Buckshot site is heavy clay, and the Highway site is deep sandy soil.
Yield potential and plant characteristics (height, ear size) are important factors to consider when selecting corn products.

The trial used non-replicated strip plots.
Plot sizes:
- Buckshot Field: six-row plots, each 700 ft long
- Highway Field: six-row plots, each 450 ft long
Yield data for both Buckshot and Highway Field was calculated using a commercial combine via whole plot harvest and corrected to 15.5% moisture content.

Trials averaged 92% stand establishment post emergence.
Buckshot (heavy clay) – Average yields for 2023 were exceptional in this environment, with an average of 195 bu/acre across the study. Several products yielded in the range of 200 bu/acre (Figure 1), indicating DEKALB® brand has a robust offering of corn products for heavy clay soils.
Highway Field (deep sand) – Average yields at the Highway location were greater than at the Buckshot location, with an average of 253 bu/acre for Highway Field. Additionally, the top-end yields in this environment for 2023 were in the 280 bu/acre range, with 8 of 12 products demonstrating yields greater than 250 bu/acre (Figure 1).
Several of the newest products demonstrated outstanding yield potential while older products, such as DEKALB® DKC65-99 brand, remained solid performers in both environments.

Figure 1. Yield comparison of twelve DEKALB® brand corn products grown on two southern soil types.

The results of this trial demonstrate that specific DEKALB® brand corn products can produce yields between 195 and 253 bu/acre on average in heavy clay and deep sand, respectively. These are two of the diverse soil types of the Mississippi Delta.
Growers should consider their personal preferences and corn product yield potential interaction with local planting conditions when selecting a corn product for the 2024 growing season.
Please contact your local DEKALB® brand representative for more information.

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