This seems like common sense on the surface but University research backs it up. To get more corn yield per acre, plant more plants per acre.
That’s what Dan Johnson, Kruger Seeds, says. He’s in charge of their corn lineup and technical training. At the Monsanto Technology Showcase Tour stop in Elkhart, IA he had a field station devoted to plant populations.
Dan says they talked about Monsanto’s goal of doubling corn yields in the Unites States by 2030. To do that he thinks there are three components to keep in mind. One is to improve the germ plasm to increase yield potential. The second is to develop trait technology that protects that potential and finally, to try some different things agronomically.
One of the things Dan is challenging growers to do is look at their plant populations. “There’s two ways you can improve your corn yield. One is making bigger ears. The easier way to do it is having more ears per acre.” Dan says the technology is allowing heavier plant populations. In fact, he says that University research shows that growers can plant about 10 percent more per acre. He recommends that growers test this on their farm.
You can listen to my interview with Dan here: monsanto-tech-showcase-johnson.mp3