Albert Lea Seed House 2017 Conventional Seed Guide | Page 3
Yes.
That’s the short answer to a question we often get asked. And it is a completely understandable question given the emphasis
big companies place on advertising and selling traited corn.
SMARTSTAX
&
VT3 &STACKED
QUAD
CORN
CORN
“DOES CONVENTIONAL CORN YIELD?”
Farmers that plant conventional corn already understand this, and that is why our sales of conventional corn have increased
every year.
Viking Conventional Corn Percent Sales Growth
300%
CONV. CORN
250%
200%
150%
100%
50%
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
0%
Percent Increase
“But don’t the big companies spend all their money developing new hybrids with traits?”
No.
It is true that they spend a lot of money developing traits and then introgressing traits into hybrids. But all corn breeding programs
breed new corn genetics first before introgressing traits into them. There are many times a hybrid is available as a conventional before
it is launched with traits.
“But don’t the traits make the hybrids yield more?”
No.
All the traits currently in the marketplace protect yield potential, but they don’t add to it. In the absence of significant corn borer or corn
rootworm pressure, a conventional corn hybrid will yield every bit as much as (if not more than) its twin sister that has traits.
Here are a few replicated yield comparisons between our conventional hybrids and their genetically-identical isoline sisters (with
traits).
REPLICATED HYBRID ISOLINE COMPARISONS
11 Locations
11 Locations
185
175
179
Bu/Acre
172
175
165
Bu/Acre
170
49-92
VT2 Pro Version
7 Locations
210
203
Bu/Acre
Bu/Acre
51-95
Conventional
51-95
VT2 Pro Version
165
160
42-92
Conventional
20 Locations
204
Bu/Acre
200
240
232
Bu/Acre
230
190
58-98
Conventional
171
169
Bu/Acre
58-98
Herculex Version
220
225
Bu/Acre
63-05
Conventional
63-05
Herculex Version
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