The best corn varieties for silage
How to choose the best corn varieties for silage
Characteristics of flint and dent hybrids
The best corn varieties for silage and the flint hybrid
Characteristics of the dent hybrid
How to choose the best corn varieties for silage
The priority in this matter is for us to be guided primarily by the parameters determining the quality and nutritional value of the selected species. Another issue is also the broadly understood economic value of our project. Efficiency is included in this definition, of course. It is important that the maize is high, heavily leafy. Then we have a lot of so-called corn from one hectare. dry weight. After all, we know that the volume of the silage is much smaller afterwards. The best varieties of maize for silage is an important issue today. Thus, a relatively large gross volume is required to obtain the desired volume.
In addition, it is important that we choose a variety of corn characterized by leaves that remain green for a long time (so-called stay green). Such a plant retains the ability to pickle also during very hot and dry years. It is also worth taking care of the selection of a corn variety that also has a large proportion of grain in relation to the total weight of the plant. It is obvious that you have to find the proverbial golden mean here. It is difficult to choose a drought-tolerant variety with a large volume of long green leaves. Equally important for the agricultural producer is the quality and quantity of grains.
Characteristics of flint and dent hybrids
If we want to choose the right variety of corn for silage, it is worth analyzing the foreign-sounding characteristics of the above specific varieties in addition to the above general tips.
Thus, Flint and Dent differ primarily in the structure of the grain and the appearance of the whole plant. In addition, they also have different requirements for broadly understood agrotechnical activities. Nowadays, we have access to many hybrids with intermediate fint/dent seeds. They combine the most important advantages of both genetically different types of grain. There are also varieties of grains very close to the pure type of flint or dent.
The best corn varieties for silage and the flint hybrid
The best varieties of maize for silage, as we mentioned in the first paragraph, are perhaps reflected in the analysis of the flint hybrid. Therefore, let’s list its superior features, which will help us decide whether our agrotechnical conditions are able to cope with the cultivation of this mixture.
- flint is characterized by round, hard, dense and medium-sized grains with a large layer of glassy, protein endosperm;
- fast initial development, flowering, good tolerance to cold and cool soil for sowing (even 5-6 degrees Celsius);
- works well on large farms where sowing needs to be started early, e.g. in early and cool spring, and in areas that are usually cooler;
- releases less moisture, has a lower yield potential;
- works well in the production of groats and flours;
- excellent as a concentrated feed for dairy cattle, due to the incomplete digestion of the starch contained in the rumen and shifting the process to the small intestine. This gives a higher milk yield in cows fed with such fodder. The digestibility of fibers, starches and fats is discussed in a related article on the Industry Expert website. pl. Analyzing the above characteristics of the flint corn hybrid, we can initially assume that this variety is quite favorable when it comes to processing it into silage. Let’s move on to comparing it with another popular mix, namely the dent type.
Characteristics of the dent hybrid
So let’s take a look at the characteristics of this hybrid variety, namely:
- dent has flat and elongated grains, with a distinctive recess at the top. They are wrinkled and concave, which is why we used to call this grain “horse tooth” because of the deceptive imitation;
- this variety is characterized by low tolerance to cold, therefore it develops slowly and blooms relatively late. The soil on which we plan to sow it should exceed 10 degrees Celsius.
- compared to the flint variety, it has a higher yield potential when it comes to dry grain, so it works well in the production of starch and alcohol;
- it is best to sow them on lighter soils and in warmer regions;
- at harvest time, the grain from the dent hybrid is about 3% drier than its predecessor, so it gives off a lot of water in the last stage of development.
There are more and more varieties of maize used in the production of silage. Based on the preliminary information and the comparison of the two hybrids, we can already judge that the flint variety is ideal for this.
