Continuous Corn

10 Tips For Success:

1. Check that soil temperature is 50 degrees or higher when planting.

2. Provide effective corn rootworm protection or consider planting Wyffels hybrids with YieldGard Rootworm or YieldGard Plus technology.

3. Ensure proper seed-to-soil contact.

4. Reduce planting speed to ensure accurate plant spacing.

5. Rotate hybrids on a specific acreage from year to year.

6. Plant hybrids proven for corn-on-corn environments.

7. Plant hybrids with strong emergence ratings.

8. Plant hybrids with strong plant and foliar disease tolerance.

9. Plant hybrids that establish an effective root mass.

10. Plant hybrids with stability, both in yield and harvestability.

Do market pressures and management issues have you thinking seriously about planting more corn-on-corn acres?
If so, it's a good bet you're also considering what you can do to maximize productivity and profitability on those acres.

At Wyffels, we understand that paying attention to the details is important. It's a component of success. And, it applies to growing continuous corn. Minding the fine points of corn production will enhance your results.

Hybrid selection. Base your selections on risk management. In this higher risk environment, agronomic stability is a critical hybrid characteristic for success. Select hybrids with good early vigor, since you'll want to plant early to avoid silking during rootworm beetle activity. The increased rootworm pressure of the continuous corn environment calls for hybrids with solid root ratings. Broad spectrum disease resistance is essential. We recommend that you rotate hybrids from year to year on specific acreages.

Corn rootworm management. Suddenly, with the advent of seed technology that puts rootworm protection in the plant, growing corn-on-corn profitably has become much easier. Selecting hybrids with Herculex

XTRA, YieldGard

Rootworm, YieldGard

Plus, or YieldGard VT Triple™ technologies is a great way to go. If you do not choose in-the-plant protection, you MUST aggressively monitor and manage corn rootworms with an insecticide.

Increased disease pressure. Heavy pressure can occur from gray leaf spot, northern and southern leaf blights, eyespot, and physoderma brown spot, all of which overwinter in residues. Also, stalk and ear rots such as diplodia, fusarium, charcoal, anthracnose, and gibberella may be more prevalent. Make hybrid selections that factor in the increased disease pressure of the corn-on-corn environment.

Anthracnose. Choosing hybrids that rate highly on anthracnose resistance is crucial, as anthracnose is at the top of the disease list for crop damage in the corn-on-corn situation. It overwinters on residue and can appear the following year as both a leaf blight and a stalk rot. Free water on leaf surfaces moves and germinates spores. In fields heavily affected by anthracnose, monitor stalk quality as harvest nears.

Planting considerations. Plant early, but make sure soil temperatures are at least 50 degrees. Move residues for better seed placement and to provide warmer soils. Assure good seed-to-soil contact. To get optimum plant spacing, reduce planting speeds.

Nitrogen management. Consider increasing the nitrogen rate on continuous corn acres. There will be less nitrogen carried over from a previous crop of corn, and there will be substantially increased immobilization. Consider applying nitrogen closer to the uptake period, placing some early and close to the seedling in the form of starter or weed/feed combinations.

Achieving good results when planting corn-on-corn starts with choosing the right hybrids. Some simply work better than others. Decades of corn research at Wyffels have led to a proven lineup strong on the agronomic characteristics and value traits you need for growing continuous corn.

When it comes to planning a solid strategy for growing continuous corn on your farm, we can help. Contact your local Wyffels Seed Representative. Or, visit the Contact Us section of this site to locate the Wyffels sales manager for your area.