Hybrids bred for a very short season, on the other hand, may not achieve optimum yields. Hybrid maturity can affect the water use efficiency of dryland corn as much as stress tolerance. Some shorter season hybrids may yield more than fuller season hybrids because they reach the critical flowering stage earlier in the season when temperatures are typically cooler. Early growth is an important agronomic trait. However, stronger early growth does not correlate to higher corn yields.
Early growth becomes more important when corn faces challenging seed bed conditions.
That is why conducting strip trials each year with hybrids of varying maturity and agronomics is important for properly evaluating potential hybrids for an area. The table below compares Pioneer brand hybrid 3970, a 77 CRM hybrid, to other hybrids of equal and longer maturity. Notice 3970 has a slight yield advantage over fuller season hybrids over the last two years. What a difference one year can make. In this study, we compared two Pioneer hybrids planted at 15,000 and 21,000 seeds per acre.