Ames, Iowa
October 24, 2002

When the results of the 2002 Iowa Crop Performance Test for corn are released this fall, a new
way of reporting the data will help growers see how hybrids performed in an increased number of growing conditions.

The Iowa Crop Improvement Association (ICIA) has offered corn performance testing since 1920. With the quick development of new hybrids today, it's no longer possible for growers to view several years' of data on each hybrid. So ICIA officials are including additional location groupings along with the standard district groupings. This will make it possible to look at data averaged across more locations to help predict which hybrids have the best performance potential next year under any growing condition.

Sixteen new tables combine performance data of hybrids entered across the seven districts. The change doubles or triples the number of locations listed for each hybrid. To provide an example of the new system, 2001 data were used to generate the first set of tables. The tables are available at http://www.agron.iastate.edu/icia/ under "Iowa Crop Performance Tests." The 2002 data will be added to the Web site in late November or early December.

ICIA is headquartered in Iowa State University's Department of Agronomy. The crop performance testing program is a cooperative effort with the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station t ISU and ISU Extension. The program offers unbiased, third-party, on-farm information to Iowa growers on commercial seed. Information on the adaptation and performance of hybrids and varieties is available for alfalfa, barley, corn, oat, soybean, triticale and wheat.