Corteva: Pioneer Seed

P74691PCE is a high-yielding grain corn hybrid featuring the PowerCore Enlist trait, which combines PowerCore’s three modes of action against above-ground insect pests with the flexibility of the Enlist weed control system. It has strong root strength, very good mid-season brittle snap tolerance and above-average test weight that stabilizes agronomic performance. Its comparative relative maturity (CRM) rating is 74 and its corn heat unit (CHU) requirement is 2125.

P82288PCE is a dual-purpose PowerCore Enlist hybrid with very good Goss’s wilt tolerance and above-average stalk and root strength. P82288PCE also offers excellent grain yield performance for its maturity in southern Manitoba as well as strong silage yield and milk per acre and beef per acre values. CRM: 82. CHU: 2400.

P87040PCE is a dual-purpose PowerCore Enlist hybrid that has excellent silage yield potential for full-season environments while maintaining fibre digestibility and good milk/beef per acre values. CRM: 87. CHU: 2575.

P87040V is a dual-purpose Vorceed Enlist corn offering excellent silage yield potential for full-season environments while maintaining fibre digestibility and good milk/beef per acre values. Vorceed Enlist technology provides six modes of action against insects (three above ground, three below ground) and four herbicide tolerance modes of action to maximize yield potential and flexibility. CRM: 87. CHU: 2575.

DeKalb

DKC072-12RIB is a high-yielding grain corn hybrid featuring very strong emergence and seedling vigour as well as strong green-snap tolerance. It is a medium-height plant with a medium to high ear placement. DK072-12RIB is a VT Double Pro RIB Complete corn blend that protects yield potential and grain quality with dual modes of action against European corn borer and other above-ground pests. Relative maturity (RM): 72. CHU: 2075.

DKC084-60RIB is a VT Double Pro RIB Complete grain corn hybrid with excellent yield potential as well as excellent test weight and grain drydown. It is a medium-statured plant that loses stay-green quickly but maintains a very good harvest appearance. RM: 84. CHU: 2525.

DKC087-08RIB is a grain corn hybrid featuring the SmartStax Rib Complete trait, an advanced insect and weed control system that provides two modes of action against below-ground corn rootworm and additional modes of action against above-ground insects including corn earworm. It has excellent yield potential and is fast to emerge with excellent seedling vigour. DKC087-08RIB performs well in 85 to 90 RM zones. CHU: 2650.

DKC088-04RIB is a dual-purpose hybrid with silage yield potential and nutritional attributes. Featuring excellent emergence and seeding vigour, it is a tall-statured plant with a medium-high ear placement and a short husk. This Trecepta RIB Complete corn combines the power of three different modes of action for broad-spectrum control of above-ground feeding pests, including western bean cutworm. DKC088-04RIB has a relative maturity of 88 and it moves well east to west within the 85 to 90 RM band. CHU: 2675.

Proven Seed

PV 60474RIB is an early VT Double Pro RIB Complete hybrid with excellent yield potential, strong test weight and very good Goss’s wilt tolerance. It also features strong emergence and seedling vigor, early flowering and very good stalks. Performing best in medium to medium-high plant populations, PV 60474RIB has a medium stature, so there is less plant material to manage following harvest without compromising high yields. RM: 74. CHU: 2075.

Maizex

MZ 2575DBR is a VT Double Pro RIB Complete grain corn hybrid with strong early-season vigour for rapid stand establishment. MZ 2575 has open husks that promote rapid grain drydown and it excels in variable yield environments. RM: 85. CHU: 2575.

MS 7711R is a Roundup Ready 2 silage and grazing corn hybrid. It is a tall plant with solid agronomics providing exceptional tonnage for its maturity, with early flowering that allows movement north. In northern environments, MS 771R offers improved grazing days as well. For silage, RM is 74 and CHU is 2175.

MZ 3432TRE is a Trecepta Rib Complete dual-purpose hybrid with a tall, robust plant type that increases yield. MZ 3432RE has excellent western bean cutworm control to maintain feed quality, and it is ideal for high-starch rations. For silage, RM is 91 and CHU is 2800.

MZ 3717SSP is a SmartStax Pro Rib Complete dual-purpose corn with strong stay-green that widens the harvest window. It offers strong biotech defense against corn rootworm and can be positioned on corn-after-corn fields. For silage, RM is 94 and CHU is 2775.

MZ 4026SSP is a SmartStax Pro Rib Complete dual-purpose hybrid that can be positioned on corn-after-corn fields, and it has early flowering that allows movement north. MZ 4026SP also features strong leaf disease tolerance that maintains feed quality as well as strong biotech defense against corn rootworm. For silage, RM is 100 and CHU is 2950.

LFG 999 is a conventional leafy silage hybrid with the floury gene for early starch availability at harvest. It features strong leaf disease tolerance and is a very tall plant with large ears that enhance starch quantity. RM: 96. CHU: 2800.

LFG 999R is a Roundup Ready 2 leafy silage corn with the floury gene for early starch availability at harvest. It features strong leaf disease tolerance and is a very tall plant with large ears that enhance starch quantity. RM: 96. CHU: 2800.

NorthStar Genetics

951S is a floury leafy silage hybrid with a long chopping window that provides excellent tonnage and quality corn. This Roundup Ready 2 hybrid is very tall and has a very large flex ear that delivers highly digestible starch. RM: 91. CHU: 2375-2475.

Syngenta: NK Seeds

NK8232 is a dual-purpose hybrid offering exceptional versatility on a wide range of soil types as well as great emergence and vigour that allows for earlier planting. Performing best in high populations, NK8232 has strong roots and stalks and is an excellent choice for medium- to fine-textured soils. It is both glufosinate- and glyphosate-tolerant and has a disease protection package that includes two modes of action against European corn borer and one mode of action against corn earworm and black cutworm. Western Canadian CHU: 2400.

NK8558 is a dual-purpose corn with solid emergence and vigour that offers outstanding yield potential and versatility on a wide range of soil types. This hybrid is a good silage option for southern Manitoba, providing excellent tonnage and feed quality, and it performs best in medium to high populations. NK8558 is both glufosinate- and glyphosate-tolerant and has a disease protection package that includes two modes of action against European corn borer and one mode of action against corn earworm and black cutworm. Western Canadian CHU: 2525.

NK8711 is a broadly adapted silage hybrid with strong drought tolerance that provides dependable performance with good grain quality and test weight and top-end yield potential across a range of environments. NK8711 has solid roots and late-season stalks as well as consistent ear placement. It is both glufosinate- and glyphosate-tolerant and has a disease protection package that includes two modes of action again European corn borer, corn earworm, fall armyworm and black and dingy cutworm and one of mode of action against true armyworm and western bean cutworm. Western Canadian CHU: 2575.

Syngenta: Enogen

E087C2 is an exceptional silage hybrid and a potential winter grazing hybrid, with season-long standability in southern Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. It offers strong agronomics that include green-snap tolerance as well as strong roots, stalks and seedling vigour. The tallest hybrid in Syngenta’s western Canadian Enogen portfolio, E087C2 has a lower ear placement and performs best on medium- to fine-textured soils. This hybrid is both glufosinate- and glyphosate-tolerant and has a disease defence package that includes protection against corn rootworm, two modes of action again European corn borer and corn rootworm and one mode of action against corn earworm, black cutworm and fall armyworm. Western Canadian CHU: 2575.

Thunder Seed

TH6477PC is a Powercore Enlist hybrid with good Goss’s wilt and northern corn leaf blight tolerance that is broadly adapted for good performance across southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan. TH6477PC moves west and handles tough growing conditions very well. RM: 77.

TH6578 VT2P is a VT Double Pro RIB Complete hybrid with early flowering and great Goss’s wilt tolerance that makes it well suited to conditions across Western Canada. It has very good drought stress tolerance and also offers top-end yield potential and excellent test weight. TH6578 VT2P has good stay-green and intactness for favourable fall appearance. RM: 78.

TH6583 VT2P is a highly consistent hybrid in all environments with great yield potential and very good test weight. Performing best in medium high populations, this VT Double Pro RIB Complete corn has strong standability with solid roots, stalks and fall intactness. RM: 83.

TH6490 VT2P is a VT Double Pro RIB Complete corn offering strong yield potential and excellent versatility and consistency. TH6490 VT2P has good ear flex that allows medium planting populations, and it is able to move north and south well. RM: 90.

Winfield United

CP1225VT2P/RIB is a VT Double Pro RIB Complete hybrid offering impressive performance and great drydown. A good option for the early silage market, this very early corn has excellent emergence and early season vigour that produces a taller plant for its maturity. RM: 72. CHU: 2050.

CP2324VT2P/RIB is a VT Double Pro RIB Complete corn that performs well across all yield environments. It has strong seedling vigour so it can be planted early to maximize heat units, and CP2324VTR2P/RIB also features quick drydown once it has hit maturity. RM: 83. CHU: 2500.

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Many southern portions of the province received above-average rainfall amounts this spring, which has turned out to be a mixed blessing for corn producers in the region.

While those rains helped promote early germination and plant growth in fields, the abundance of wet stuff meant the roots of those corn plants didn’t grow as deep as they normally would, since they could access moisture and nutrients close to the soil surface.

As a result, nutrients near the surface became depleted and corn plant roots weren’t developed enough to drill further down into the soil to access additional sources.

The concern heading into this year’s harvest is those nutrient-deprived corn plants could show quality or yield losses.

“The first rains were obviously a huge blessing because we were planting into really dry conditions,” says Morgan Cott, agronomy extension specialist for special crops with the Manitoba Crop Alliance.

“It’s just that the rain kept coming and a lot of areas were getting waterlogged. Some areas were getting stunted because of the water sitting in the fields. Like anything, if corn is sitting in water for too long, it can’t breathe. There’s no oxygen so it’s just sitting there not doing anything. Some plants will die while others won’t but they never sort of rejuvenate.”

Manitoba Agriculture’s growing season report shows just how wet some corn-growing areas of the province were early on this season. Portage la Prairie received 177 mm of rain between April 15 and June 2, which is 193 per cent of the average rainfall it receives during that period of time. Meanwhile, Brandon received 162 mm (213 per cent) while Morden received 189 mm (190 per cent) and Rivers had 167 mm (211 per cent).

All that moisture meant corn plant roots tended to develop more laterally than vertically. The lack of root material meant those plants had difficulty accessing much-needed nutrients as they leached downwards into the soil over the course of the season.

“Roots are lazy. Roots will go where they have access to everything they need. Why would they be digging down deep if all the water and all the fertilizer was sitting there with them in those first couple of months,” Cott says.

Table: Prairie grain corn acres planted

Source: Statistics Canada. * – figure deemed “too unreliable”

‘Rebound’

It’s a situation that concerns Jill Verwey and her husband Ray. They operate an 8,000-acre grain and oilseed farm just south of Portage la Prairie. They planted about 400 acres of corn this spring and ended up having to reseed about 130 acres to canola as a result of the damp conditions.

Now, their fingers are crossed that their remaining corn acres will rebound enough to produce a decent yield.

“We did get some good rebound once we had some heat. But we’re still a ways away from knowing what the effects of this year will be on the corn crop,” she says.

“That early cool, wet weather will probably have an impact at the end of day on yield. We’ll probably not see as good a yield as what we would have expected, had we had a better start in the spring. How much that loss is going to be, we won’t know until the crop’s in the bin. It’s hard to make that call at this time of year. It will definitely be more favourable… if we have some good growing conditions over the next little while.”

Cott agrees it’s too early to know how much nutrient loss occurred this season and what impact it could have on yield.

One way growers can tell if their corn plants are suffering from nutrient loss, she says, is to check the leaves near the bottom of the plant. If they have already started to fire off, or drop, it’s a likely indicator of nitrogen deficiency. Browning or yellowing lower leaves is another likely sign of nutrient deficiency.

The bad news is that if that’s the case, there’s not much growers can do about it at this point. Even if they were to apply a top dressing, it’s likely too late in the season for the plant to take it up. Normally, top dressing has to be applied to corn at the V4 stage when there are four leaves and leaf collars are visible. Foliar sprays aren’t a solution either since they can cause damage to the crop, Cott adds.

Cott says it’s really up to individual producers to determine whether to put all of their fertilizer down up front or to split it up with a top dressing midway through the season. The challenge with a split application is that producers never know when it’s going to rain or when the rain will stop, so that later application could end up having a negligible effect.

Cott’s advice to corn growers is to scout crops early and often so they can detect in a timely fashion if any nutrient deficiency is occurring and are prepared to act quickly.

“If the weather is either too dry or too wet where we are in extremes either way, then keeping your eyes on the field is the best way to know what might be the best thing to do for fertility,” she says. “It’s just important to be scouting everything as much as you can so you know what’s going on. It takes a lot of time but it’s valuable to do so.”

Depending on how the current situation plays out, this year could be something of an anomaly for corn production in Manitoba. Over the last dozen years, the number of corn acres in the province has grown from about 300,000, in 2012, to more than 500,000 in 2024. Last year, the province produced a record 1.79 million tonnes of grain corn, which represented 11.8 per cent of Canada’s total corn production.

While those numbers could drop slightly if there are any significant yield losses in the province this year, Cott expects that upward trend to continue over the long term.

“I honestly think it’s just that it’s a relatively easy crop to grow. Guys have seen success with it. Making the investments needed to be growing corn isn’t seeming like a real hit to the farm,” she says.

“There are benefits to making an investment in a drier and planters and bins. Making those investments is a lot more appealing now that we’ve seen steady success with grain corn in Manitoba. It’s a lot more justifiable.”

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But she isn’t about to use it.

“These are the nicest ears I’ve seen,” Carduner burst out enthusiastically while stripping a fat cob of corn in a field bordering the Red River just north of the U.S. border.

Carduner was on the fourth day of a one-woman Manitoba-Saskatchewan corn crop tour, in which she visits farmers’ fields in all major corn-growing regions of the eastern Prairies.

The farmers are her clients, but she isn’t an agronomist. She is a grain broker and even during this week-long crop tour, she is getting farmers into contracts and dealing with buyers every morning before she jumps in her truck and hits the road.

There are apps and other digital tools to estimate crop yields; satellite services that look down on crops and drone-based systems that can provide a good guess about yield.

However, Carduner and many in the North American agriculture industry prefer to estimate crops up close and personal, inside the fields and by physically holding the crop. She uses a rope, a random selection of ears within the crop, measurement of cob length and kernel row counts, and then a bunch of math.

It’s a modified form of the corn-counting template used on the U.S. Pro Farmer Crop Tour, which crosses the U.S. corn belt and is avidly followed by traders and farmers around the world. Its estimates of potential corn yields can move the markets.

Carduner’s personal tour isn’t designed to offer insights to the market about the western Canadian corn crop. She does it to give her clients a good estimate of their coming crop, so they can make marketing and storage decisions and see how they compare to other farmers.

She sends an individual assessment to each farmer whose fields she visits, and keeps their information private, but gives them general assessments from her tour.

“I’m going to cry,” says Carduner, when some ears on Gaetan Fontaine’s farm have 20-kernel rows, which are as good as in the best fields she saw in Nebraska and Iowa this summer.

Carduner is passionate about corn. She says many of her clients are the same, and the ones with the most passion for corn tend to do the best.

“You have to have passion for what you’re doing in order to get the most from what you have,” she says, as she pushed her way through stalks that tower above her, moving deep into the field to get an accurate sense of this crop. She won’t measure anything less than 30 rows from the field edge.

This September, she has seen crops near Portage la Prairie that have a 300-bushel per acre potential. (Due to harvest losses, the in-the-bin yield will be less.) Many crops are estimated at more than 200 bu./ac.

The average Manitoba crop is much less than that, and well below the U.S. average of more than 180 bu./ac.

This northern extreme of the corn belt isn’t ideal, but if treated well and given a northern Plains rotation, there is no reason eastern Prairie crops can’t knock it out of the ballpark in good years like this.

“If we get the moisture and the heat, we can get a beautiful result,” Carduner says, before packing up her estimating gear and heading for the next field.

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“The most yield potential a crop has is when the seed goes into the ground,” says Paul Sullivan, CCA with Sullivan Agro Inc. “After that, stresses like emergence, weather, nutrient availability and timing all pull back on the total genetic potential of the seed.”

READ ALSO: New corn hybrids for 2025

Selecting the right hybrid with the most genetic potential to meet yield goals while managing local production stressors can be achieved, but Sullivan reminds farmers that they need to invest time in researching, discussing seed options and consulting advisors, such as seed representatives and agronomists.

Here are three considerations to help select the right hybrids for your farm:

Maximize ROI

Hybrid selection is one of the biggest determining factors when it comes to yield. And in many cases, yield is the greatest determining factor of a farmer’s return on investment (ROI).

“Selecting a hybrid that is appropriate for your farm and growing region is the first step,” says Ben Rosser, an Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA) corn specialist. “Public and private corn trials are conducted across the province, so do your research, ask your neighbours about their experiences and your seed rep for the most local information on performance and yield.”

Not only should bushels be considered as part of economic potential, but other economic factors need to be considered too, such as drydown capabilities to decrease potential drying costs; seed cost; and pest or disease tolerance that can reduce quality and production performance.

“Hybrid maturity and end use markets also need to fit into the selection criteria, especially when it comes to managing risk tolerance for weather and field conditions,” says Rosser, who notes that soil conditions, planting and target harvest timing also need to be considered for each field when selecting the right maturity.

Marty Vermey, senior agronomist with Grain Farmers of Ontario, also points out that, since corn is driven by heat, selecting the appropriate heat units and relative maturity go hand-in-hand. “Maturity will differ across growing regions and between hybrids, so be sure to select appropriately for your farm,” he says.

Match your management style

“Every hybrid is different and requires a different management approach to maximize genetic potential,” Vermey says.

Knowing more about hybrid genetics allows farmers to take advantage of seed strengths and farm around the weaknesses. Management considerations such as population, planting window, soil type, fertility, crop protection products and harvest timing all need to be accounted for.

“Ask yourself what problems you want to solve through seed traits,” says Vermey, who recommends farmers make a list to help evaluate their risks and how their management approach will support selected hybrids.

Problems, or risks, can include weed control, insect pressures, standability, emergence issues, soil conditions, desired planting and harvesting windows, and nutrient concerns.

“Farmers need to match hybrids to overall management styles and equipment,” Vermey says. “Individual field conditions also need to be accounted for when it comes to aligning corn seed with crop management too.”

Trait resistance is something else farmers need to consider, especially in areas where corn rootworm resistance has emerged. Vermey reminds any farmers who are growing corn-on-corn follow OMAFA recommended management practices — and use trait technology wisely.

While resistance to European corn borer, for example, hasn’t been identified in Ontario yet, (though it has been confirmed in the Maritimes and Quebec), Vermey reminds farmers in that province to “monitor your fields diligently and be aware of any breakthrough insects you think you are controlling with traits.”

Ear flex can also be a consideration when researching corn hybrids. Sullivan explains that all hybrids will flex in at least one of three ways: ear girth, ear length and depth of kernel. Understanding the ear flex timing can also be factored into a management approach, especially when considering plant populations. For farmers using variable rate planting equipment and leveraging field nutrient based soil mapping systems, Sullivan recommends paying extra attention to ear flex and working with an adviser to select corn genetics to maximize crop potential.

Review and research

Hybrids can change quickly from year to year, but that’s no excuse not to take the time to learn more about them.

“Use all available resources when deciding hybrid selection and placement,” Rosser says.

Rosser reminds farmers of the importance of data when it comes to selecting the right corn hybrid, and the more data, the better. He recommends reviewing performance data over multiple growing seasons to get the best picture, and preferably data that has been collected across various growing conditions and environments.

“Look for hybrids with consistent performance across large data sets and multiple conditions,” Rosser says.

Vermey also recommends farmers talk to their neighbours to find out what works for them. “But understand your neighbour’s management – their time of planting, soil, nutrients and fungicide control – will be different from your own, so be sure to carefully research how a hybrid will perform on your own farm too,” he says.

Consulting one’s own trusted advisors, such as local seed representatives and agronomists, can also help farmers identify the strengths and weaknesses of hybrids being considered, Vermey says. And ideally, advisors should be local to help a farmer select the best fit for their growing region, heat units and disease and pest pressures.

“Don’t be afraid to try something new. Try adding one or two new hybrids every year to see how they work on your farm,” says Sullivan, who advises adding new hybrids in small increments, or on limited acres to reduce risk. He also recommends on-farm strip trials to measure performance and inform future hybrid selection.

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Corn can be ensiled as ground, high-moisture corn (a high-starch energy source) or as whole-plant silage (a moderate-energy source of fibre). It can also be ensiled as snaplage (the entire chopped ear of the corn, including the shank, cob, husk and grain), which lands somewhere in the middle.

A team of researchers led by the University of Saskatchewan’s Greg Penner ran a trial using these different forms of corn to partially replace barley in feedlot finishing diets.

What they did

After backgrounding on the same diet, a total of 320 crossbred steers (1,164 lbs.) were fed one of four finishing diets in a small pen trial (10 head per pen) in 2020 and 2021. The four diets were designed to find out what would happen when CDC Austenson barley silage and barley grain were replaced with Pioneer 7202AM dent corn silage, high-moisture corn grain, or corn snaplage.

The control diet contained 10 per cent barley silage and 88 per cent rolled barley (rolled to a processing index of 65 per cent). The second diet replaced the barley silage with 10 per cent corn silage, along with 88 per cent rolled barley. The third diet contained 10 per cent barley silage and equal amounts (44 per cent each) of rolled barley and ground high-moisture corn. The fourth diet contained 20 per cent corn snaplage to entirely replace the barley silage and lower the rolled barley grain content to 77 per cent. This ensured the dietary starch concentration was similar to the control. The rest of the diet was limestone, urea and a mineral/vitamin supplement. Steers were slaughtered after 99 (year 1) or 72 (year 2) days on feed. Live weights, average daily gain, feed intake, gain:feed, fecal starch content, liver abscesses and carcass data were measured.

What they learned

When it came to growth performance, the dry matter intakes, finished weights, average daily gains and gain:feed of steers fed the standard barley-based control diet were not statistically different from those of the steers fed any of the three corn diets. While fecal starch was very low in this study, fecal starch content was higher in the steers fed barley and high-moisture corn (2.2 versus 1.4 per cent) than the barley-based control diet.

As for carcass measurements, steers fed the barley and high-moisture corn diet had statistically heavier hot carcass weights (895 lbs. versus 884 lbs.) and higher dressing percentages (59.7 versus 59 per cent) than the barley-based control diet. This translated into carcass-adjusted final live weights (1,508 lb. versus 1,486 lb.) and average daily gains (4.2 versus 3.9 lb./day) that were greater than the steers fed the barley-based control diet. This suggests that the higher starch level of the barley and high-moisture corn diet (56 versus 52 per cent in the barley-based control diet) was enough to offset the starch lost in the feces while still promoting greater carcass weight. Neither the corn silage nor the snaplage diet differed from the barley-based control diet. There were no differences in yield or quality grades.

Overall, proportions of minor or severe liver abscesses were the same across all four diets (74 per cent). Severe liver abscesses were less common in steers fed the barley grain and snaplage diet than in steers fed the barley-based control diet (10 per cent versus 26 per cent). This was attributed to the higher “physically effective fibre” content in the snaplage diet (5.3 per cent versus 4.5 per cent in the barley-based diet) that may have helped maintain rumen health and moderate rumen pH.

Bottom line

Replacing barley silage with corn silage, or entirely replacing the barley silage and some of the rolled barley with corn snaplage, didn’t negatively affect finishing steer performance or carcass value. Replacing half of the rolled barley with high-moisture corn produced some benefits.

So what does this mean (or not mean) to you? Corn is standard practice in Eastern Canada. But if you’re new to growing and feeding corn in Western Canada, remember that varieties and growing conditions matter. High-moisture corn typically has a higher starch content than barley. Dent corn varieties (like the one used in this trial) typically have more digestible protein and starch than flint corn varieties. Dent corn is more commonly grown in the U.S. and Eastern Canada. Most of the short-season corn grown in Western Canada is flint corn. But starch contents and yields drop when corn is drought-stressed as it was in this study. In fact, drought was severe enough in 2021 that neither corn silage nor snaplage could be produced, and the second year of the study used corn silage and snaplage left over from the 2020 crop year. In contrast, barley grain and silage were grown in both years of the study.

Homegrown corn has significant potential in Western Canada’s feedlot sector, but more work is needed to breed the production risk out of it.

The Beef Cattle Research Council is a not-for-profit industry organization funded by the Canadian Beef Cattle Check-Off. The BCRC partners with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, provincial beef industry groups and governments to advance research and technology transfer supporting the Canadian beef industry’s vision to be recognized as a preferred supplier of healthy, high-quality beef, cattle and genetics. Learn more about the BCRC online.

The post Corn in western Canadian feedlot diets appeared first on Grainews.

Grain corn acreage in Western Canada nearly doubled in a recent 15-year span, rising from 210,000 acres in 2007 to slightly more than 414,000 in 2022, according to data compiled by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The trend has continued into 2023.

While that development is good news, it suggests there could be a corresponding rise in corn disease incidence, says a plant researcher with the Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA), which represents corn growers in the province.

“I think that with corn acres going up you obviously will see more disease pressure because there are more hosts available,” says Madison McCausland, research program manager of special crops with the MCA.

“It is something that we must have on our radar and we want to be ahead of that curve versus having an epidemic and getting into a situation where we don’t have any tools to mitigate those kind of disease pressures.

“While disease in corn isn’t biggest issue among all of the crops, it is something that we are conscious of and have to be aware of.”

GOSS’S WILT

Perhaps the biggest disease concern on the Prairies is the bacterial disease known as Goss’s wilt. It’s caused by the bacteria Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. nebraskensis. It typically occurs when there is injury to the plant’s leaves caused by wind, hail or sandblasting, which allows bacteria to enter.

Symptoms include leaf discoloration and necrosis. Because the leaves cannot effectively draw in sunlight to create the nutrients required, Goss’s wilt can severely reduce overall yield.

McCausland says a 2016 disease survey in Manitoba showed the bacteria was present in a third of fields surveyed. That percentage would likely be higher today because corn acres in that province have continued to grow, she adds.

It’s also likely to have a greater presence in Saskatchewan and Alberta, since corn acres in those two provinces have also significantly increased.

“As we’re getting a lot more corn grown in these areas, we’re going to start seeing a lot more incidence of this happening as we move west and corn is becoming a more popular crop in these western provinces,” McCausland says.

Goss’s wilt is challenging to manage because it cannot be treated with fungicide.

McCausland says prevention is the best tool for managing its spread, and residue management is among the most effective tools because the disease tends to thrive in stalk residue.

A more diversified crop rotation can also help.

“Crop rotation is really key,” says McCausland. “In Manitoba, we’re a little spoiled and we’ve got away with not worrying about that so much. Some guys will grow corn on corn on corn.

“However, as disease pressure grows, the more you do that, the bigger the problem it’s going to become.”

Few varieties are tolerant to Goss’s wilt. McCausland is hopeful that will change soon, in part because of research and breeding efforts in Manitoba.

“That’s going to be really important for crops and for the farmers selecting varieties.”

GIBBERELLA EAR ROT AND STALK ROT

Gibberella ear rot is just as nasty as it sounds. It’s an ear mould caused by the fungal pathogen Gibberella zeae. It’s the same fungus that causes fusarium head blight in cereal crops such as barley, oats and wheat and can ultimately destroy the only part of a corn plan that is harvestable.

Symptoms include rotting of necrosis of the ear as well as the presence of a white powder with a pink hue.

To make matters worse, the fungus that causes Gibberella ear rot produces the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON). The threshold for DON is extremely low for both human and animal consumption.

“If you’ve got an amount of this mycotoxin that is higher than this threshold, it essentially means that your entire yield is garbage because the mycotoxin is so toxic you can’t feed it to humans… or to animals. You can’t do anything with it because it is so toxic,” says McCausland.

If growers detect the presence of Gibberella ear rot, she advises that they harvest that area immediately to prevent spread and save as much of their crop as possible.

As is the case with Goss’s wilt, prevention is the best way to manage the spread of ear rot. That means close attention to crop rotation, McCausland says, and avoid growing a cereal and corn immediately afterward because the fungal pathogen can be easily transferred from the first crop to the latter.

Gibberella stalk rot is similar to ear rot in the sense that both are caused by the same pathogen. It can reduce corn yield by killing the plant before it is mature. It can also cause lodging, which can increases yield losses and hamper harvest efforts.

Its symptoms are similar to those of Gibberella ear rot. It causes browning of the stem and creates the same pink powdery substance within the stalk, which indicates the presence of the dangerous mycotoxin.

McCausland says it can be difficult to detect the presence of stalk rot unless you are close to an infected plant.

As with ear rot, good residue management and a diversified crop rotation are the best ways to control it.

RUST AND SMUT

Two other corn diseases present on the Prairies are rust and smut. Although neither poses a serious risk now, McCausland said growers should keep on top of them and avoid complacency about either disease.

Rust produces rust-coloured pustules on a corn plant’s leaves. In severe cases, it can cause leaf chlorosis and kill the plant. Rust isn’t a major concern on the Prairies, McCausland says, because several fungicides are available to deal with it as long as it is detected early.

Smut is a fungal pathogen. It’s common in most areas where corn is grown but generally doesn’t cause significant economic losses.

It’s essentially a fungal growth and similar to mushrooms. In fact, in many Central American countries, it’s regarded as a prized delicacy. It appears as a gall or abnormal growth throughout the growing season on any above-ground part of the plant. In some cases it can completely destroy the cob.

McCausland says the best defence against smut is choosing a newer variety that has resistance.

“If you’re growing resistant varieties, like current hybrids that have resistance to them, you won’t necessarily have to worry about a problem. If you’re growing resistant varieties and you have one, you’re probably not going to get an infestation. It might just be a one-off. Just make sure you’re growing current varieties that have resistance incorporated.”

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