Dryland Corn Seeding Rates Effect on Product Yield - Channel

• Selecting appropriate products and seeding rates are key to helping achieve high yield potential in dryland corn production.  

• Low corn populations can promote the formation of tillers (a.k.a. “suckers”).  There is controversy as to whether tillers compensate for grain yield by producing more than one ear per plant.  

• The objective of this trial was to determine the effect of corn seeding rate on tiller incidence and grain yield for different corn products. 

• The trial was set up as a randomized complete block design with four replications. 

• Nine corn products were evaluated with six Channel® and three Pioneer® brand corn products with relative maturities (RM) ranging from 100 to 112 days. 

• The four corn seeding rates used were 12,000, 16,000, 20,000, and 24,000 seeds/acre. 

• Tiller incidence was measured as a percentage of the number of plants that presented tillers relative to the total number of plants in the plot.  

• Corn was fertilized with a stream bar before planting (04/06/2021) with 90 lb/acre of nitrogen (N), 40 lb/acre of phosphorus (P), and 20 lb/acre of sulfur (S). Nitrogen was also side-dressed on 06/22/2021 using Y-drops at 60 lb/acre. 

• Weeds were controlled uniformly across the study area. 

• There was a significant interaction between product and seeding rate in tiller incidence in this study. 

• Even though tiller incidence varied by corn products, a greater tiller incidence was observed under lower corn seeding rates of 12,000 and 16,000 seeds/acre compared to higher seeding rates of 20,000 to 24,000 seeds/acre (Figure 1). 

• All Channel® brand corn products significantly reduced tiller incidence as the seeding rate increased. However, only one Channel® corn product, 207-90STXRIB, did not significantly reduce tiller incidence from 20,000 to 24,000 seeds/acre. 

• The tiller incidence reduction from 12,000 to 20,000, and from 12,000 to 24,000 seeds/acre was significant for all Channel® and Pioneer® brand corn products evaluated (Table 1). 

• There was a trend of greater corn grain yield as seeding rates were increased across corn products tested in this study (Figure 2). 

• The corn grain yield response to seeding rate was product selection dependent. Most of the differences in grain yield between different seeding rate increments were observed from 12,000 to 20,000; 12,000 to 24,000; 16,000 to 20,000; and 16,000 to 24,000 seeds/acre (Table 2). 

• The least grain yield differences in the corn products tested were observed from 12,000 to 16,000, and from 20,000 to 24,000 seeds/acre (Table 2).  

  
  

• Lower corn seeding rates yielded less than higher seeding rates and produced more tillers. Tillers did not compensate for grain yield.

• The presence of tillers was not associated with reduced corn grain yield as tiller incidence and yield was compared across products. 

• Talk to your local Channel Seedsman to determine which corn products and seeding rates best fit your production system. 

3021_R3