Grain yield and profit potential increase as total season length increases to provide greater total interception of solar radiation. Increases harvest index contributes directly to increased yield. Plant height is reduced due to the low temperature affect on early growth. This results in less potential for lodging and greater tolerance to high plant populations. Early planting results in a broad choice among alternative hybrids.
Early planting allows replanting with the first-choice hybrids.
Early planting generally results in an avoidance of high temperature and drought stress during pollination. All of these strategies improve the efficiency of N fertilizer use by the crop. Side-dressing results in very low levels of loss and maximum N availability to the developing crop. As a result, this timing of application is highly cost effective, efficient, and results in low potential for nitrate contamination of ground water resources. Allows for N rate adjustment as conditions dictate in the spring.