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. PSNT may be quite valuable where there is relatively high uncertainty as to the level of plant available N present in the soil just prior to sidedressing. Under these conditions there is a high potential for N loss through denitrification and leaching. On soils with high organic matter levels or on soils which have received heavy applications of livestock waste. Under these conditions significant amounts of N are mineralized from the organic sources but the amount of N made available can be quite variable.