Seedbed Preparation and Seeding Depth Influences on Corn Yield Potential – Mid-South 2025

February 4, 2026

TRIAL OBJECTIVE

Many crops across the South are planted on raised beds primarily to help enable in-season drainage; however, the bedding process can often be delayed into the spring planting period because of wet autumn conditions.
Bird predation can substantially impact yield potential, and planting depth can be used as a management tool to reduce the damage by birds.
The Bayer Crop Science Learning Center at Scott, MS conducted a trial to measure the potential influence of seeding depth and raised seedbeds on corn yield potential.

RESEARCH SITE DETAILS

DEKALB hybrid corn seed evaluation of planting bed preparation and corn seeding depth field characteristics and background

Table 1. DEKALB® brand corn products, their traits and relative maturities.

Table showing five DEKALB hybrid corn seeds with multiple corn traits, and relative maturity in a testing matrix for this research report

Trial was set up as a non-replicated strip plot.
Plot size: 12-row plots; 145-ft length, with approximately 0.127 acre per plot.
Prior to planting, plots were ‘hipper rolled’ with the Bigham Hipper Roller® tool for bed establishment.
- The following treatments were established in the field:
  - The Bigham Hipper Roller® tool prepared seedbeds on the planting date.
  - The Bigham Hipper Roller® tool prepared seedbeds approximately 60 days prior to planting. The goal was to have the seedbeds settled by rainfall prior to planting, and this was achieved.

Bigham Hipper Roller being used for planting bed preparation

Figure 1. Bigham Hipper Roller® tool creating raised seedbeds.

Planting depth treatments:
- 1.25-inch
- 2.5-inch

Corn-seeding after Bigham Hipper Roller was used for planting bed preparation.

Figure 2. Seeding operation following Bigham Hipper Roller® seedbed creation on the same day.

Data collected as follows:
- Yield data were collected by commercial combine machinery.
- Yields were corrected to 15.5% moisture for reporting.

UNDERSTANDING THE RESULTS

Side by Side picture showing corn seed emergence in a field on the left where seed bed preparation was done 60 days prior to corn planting and on the right is an image where bed preparation and corn seeding were done in the same day.

Figure 3. Emergence when seedbed was prepared 60 days prior to planting and settled (left) compared to emergence with seedbed prepared and planted on the same day (right).

DEKALB corn yield performance for multiple corn seed products at multiple seeding depths and two different planting bed preparations

Figure 4. Yield response of five DEKALB® brand corn products to seedbed preparation practices and seeding depth.

Little, if any, interaction was observed for seedbed preparation or seeding depth across corn products in this study (Figure 4).

Figure 5. Average yield response across DEKALB® brand products tested to seedbed preparation practices and seeding depth.

The settled seedbed, shallow-planted treatment demonstrated an average yield 25 bu/acre less than the other seedbed treatments (Figure 5).

Corn yield performance for two different planting bed preparations

Figure 6. Yield response across five corn products and two seeding depths to seedbed preparation practice.

When averaged across the other factors in this study, creating seedbeds the day of planting resulted in corn yields 11 bu/acre greater than letting seedbeds settle prior to planting (Figure 6).

KEY LEARNINGS

Growers should maintain a focus on planting parameters including planting depth regardless of seedbed practices. These parameters can only be optimized before or during the planting process.
We speculate shallow-planted kernels are more susceptible to bird feeding and/or developmental issues such as poor rooting mass and volume. However, data around these specific effects were not part of this trial.
Same-day seedbed creation could help soil mass settle into a proper layer over the seed.
Please contact your local DEKALB® brand representative for more information.

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