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Buying seed corn is becoming more and more like buying a new car. There are dozens of good makes and models – and enough combinations of add-on options to make your head spin.

So, how do you make the best purchase decision for your situation? Bruce Battles, an agronomist with Syngenta, says the key to buying seed corn, just like buying a new car, is doing your homework and carefully matching the “make, model and options” to your needs.

Choose a Trusted Supplier

“The criteria you look for in a seed supplier are very similar to those of an automobile manufacturer,” Battles says. “You’re looking for a history of quality, reliability and innovation. You want local service and support. Perhaps most importantly, you need to be able to trust the people and the company you deal with.”

Battles adds Syngenta invests hundreds of millions of dollars each year on research to continually improve its seed products. The company’s seed brands – NK®, Garst® and Golden Harvest® – have been trusted by growers for decades to deliver top yields.

Syngenta customers can choose how and from whom they purchase their seed locally. Some prefer to work with neighboring farmer-dealers, others with professional seed advisors and still others purchase their seed along with fertilizer, crop protection products and other needs from an ag products retailer.

Choose the Right Product for Every Need

Battles says the next step in the seed-purchase decision is matching specific genetics to the needs of every acre.

“You buy a grain truck to haul corn from the fields at harvest, but you probably wouldn’t have your teen-age daughter drive it to school. It’s the same with seed corn. There is no one product or one genetics package that will work on every acre, every year,” Battles explains.

He says some factors, such as growing days, are obvious, and most corn growers have managed a portfolio of different maturities for many years. Many growers match the top yielding “race horse” hybrids with their best soil types, and spread their risk across other hybrids on more marginal ground. Now, with increasing sophistication of plant breeding, growers can choose among more specific factors that match the needs of each field.

“We’re seeing more corn growers choosing efficient water hybrids for sandier soils,” Battles says. “Growers are choosing fast-emerging hybrids for continuous cornfields with heavy residue. They’re choosing disease-resistant hybrids in river bottoms or other fields where previous pest pressure was high. Or, they’re planting higher-oil hybrids for livestock feed or higher-starch hybrids for ethanol production.”

Regardless of the field, environmental conditions or intended use for the crop, Battles says the key to success is starting with the right genetics package for the job.

Options, Options and More Options

Additionally, corn growers need to choose carefully from the many “add-on” options available today.

“The good news is growers have more high-value options than ever before. But without sufficient advance planning, you might end up spending money on options you really don’t need,” Battles explains.

He points to herbicide-tolerance traits as an example. The popularity of glyphosate tolerance in soybeans, and increasing use of these traits in corn, is leading to concerns about weeds developing glyphosate resistance. “Growers are starting to rotate glyphosate-tolerance traits across different crops and fields, and prioritizing non-glyphosate herbicides on many corn acres,” he says.

“Corn is very susceptible to early-season competition from weeds, so with a race horse hybrid on high-yielding soils, a grower may find he’s better off leaving out the glyphosate-tolerance trait and using a good soil-applied herbicide to control weeds.”

He adds that with the Syngenta Agrisure® GT trait, growers can purchase seed with glyphosate tolerance, use a pre-emergence herbicide, such as Lumax® herbicide, to control weeds early and then spray glyphosate for later weed control. A “technology reinvestment” of up to $15 per unit is available to growers who participate in one of the Syngenta AgriEdge® weed control programs designed to limit early-season weed competition by combining the best of Agrisure traits and Syngenta Crop Protection technology.

For pest control needs, farmers have opportunities to mix and match a variety of traits with seed treatments and insecticide products. All Syngenta seed brands have the option of adding Cruiser Extreme® 250 seed treatment to protect against seedling diseases and insects and get the crop off to a fast start.

For continuous corn acres, Battles says including a rootworm control trait like Agrisure RW is a good choice. In 2007 field trials in Garst, Golden Harvest and NK hybrids, Agrisure RW traits yielded an average of 33 bushels more per acre than hybrids without the trait. In situations where rootworm damage is less likely, the rootworm trait might be replaced by use of a rootworm seed treatment or soil insecticide. Other pests like European corn borer are tougher to predict, so many growers rely on trait options, such as Agrisure CB, to prevent damage from these insects.

“Even with some challenging weather conditions in recent years, the increasing average yields we are seeing prove the new genetics and trait packages are having an impact,” Battles concludes. “And, as growers continue to develop expertise at matching new genetics and traits technology with soils, agronomics and other factors on a field-by-field basis, we’d expect their productivity to continue to increase.”

Syngenta is a world-leading agribusiness committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative research and technology. The company is a leader in crop protection, and ranks third in the high-value commercial seeds market. Sales in 2006 were approximately $8.1 billion. Syngenta employs around 21,000 people in over 90 countries. Syngenta is listed on the Swiss stock exchange (SYNN) and in New York (SYT). Further information is available at www.syngenta-us.com.

Lumax is a Restricted Use Pesticide.
Agrisure®, Cruiser Extreme®, Lumax® and NK® are registered trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. NK is a business unit of Syngenta Seeds, Inc. Garst® is a trademark of Garst Seed Company. Golden Harvest® is a trademark of Golden Harvest, Inc.

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