Hybrids vary in their response to the environment. Key traits for corn hybrids under a dryland system are stress tolerance, early growth, maturity and yield potential. Corn hybrids need to mature properly, requiring realistic planting and harvest dates. Hybrids requiring too full a season will not mature until late in the fall and carry unacceptable grain moisture levels. 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.