Donnellson, IA. Makes saying here easier. | From a plant breeding and research side. Planting multiple hybrids comes with a list of benefits and interference. Ie when doing 12 and 12 to harvest for research the center 6 of each 12 really need to be harvested separate. All obviously can get pollen from rows only 12 rows away but the adjacent have the best chance. So there can be synergy or antagonistic effects in the bordering rows. Much like the process in seed production, cross pollination can increase kernel size and density because of the cross. Not a giant amount but enough to skew results. No one likes mixes it seems but I have done blends and seen 5+ bushels and as high as 15 over the same hybrids planted solid. The issue is not necessarily knowing which hybrid was the one that carried the torch that year. If I was planting to get pollination increase it would not be 6 and 6....8 and 8.....12 and 12....etc. I would in say a 12 row setup I would plant hybrid A and B in more of a repeating pattern.....ABAABAABAABA......so that they were only traveling a couple rows to be a pollinator. It would also allow emergence and neighbors to be at more similar stages and timing than a blend. The nightmare of course would be if one had an emergence or stand issue. But would result in more of what you would be asking a second hybrid to do. As goose said most times there is a pollination issue it is another issue or long enough of a stressor it might not help much. But with some research and planning the right two hybrids could work together to create yield increase.
Edited by DobsonAG 9/4/2020 19:31
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Does it help to split planter with diff hybrids?
