Ontario Hybrid Corn Performance Trials Report

David Morris, Secretary, Ontario Corn Committee

A copy of the 2007 issue of The Ontario Hybrid Corn Performance Trials Report is enclosed with the December issue of The Ontario Corn Producer, courtesy Bayer CropScience, the OCPA and the Ontario Corn Committee.

The Ontario Corn Committee conducted Performance Trials at 21 locations in 2007. All trials were planted by May 10th and emergence was satisfactory at all locations. With the exception of Waterloo, Heat Unit totals for the season were much above “normal”, at all locations, largely because of exceptionally warm weather in late September and early October. This added as much as 200 heat units to the total. (The Waterloo trial received a killing frost on September 16th.) All trials in western Ontario suffered from a lack of moisture causing some unevenness within a number of the trials. The worst cases, Orangeville and Exeter, had to be discarded because of the extreme variability. Elsewhere in western Ontario, yields were down 0 to 20 percent, compared to last year. Nevertheless, the average yield at several locations still exceeded 200 bushels per acre. By contrast, growing conditions in Eastern Ontario were excellent and the average yield at all four locations was over 215 bushels per acre.

Corn borer infestations were generally low at all locations, with only 3 trials in the Guelph area getting into the moderate range.

Additional copies of the report can be obtained from OMAFRA offices, some seed corn dealers and some farm supply outlets. It is also available (in PDF format) for downloading and printing from the GOCorn.net web site (www.gocorn.net). Growers who are unable to obtain a report by any of the above means can obtain a copy by calling the office of the Ontario Corn Producers’ Association (1-519-837-1660).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:
David Morris, Secretary, Ontario Corn Committee
R. R. # 2 • Owen Sound, Ontario N4K 5N4
1-519-376-1304 • Email: dtmorris@bmts.com