October 5, 2007

 

Genetics to play a big part in boosting US corn yields

 

 

Better corn genetics and favourable weather could make an expected record large corn crop a reality, agronomists and grains analysts said.

 

Yields this year are "phenomenal", especially in Central Illinois, a corn-producing area Dennis Bowman, an extension agronomist for the University of Illinois told Reuters.

 

There have been many farms with yields over 200 bushels per acre, Bowman noted. Average yields used to be just 160 to 180 bushels an acre.

 

Illinois and Iowa are the top two corn and soy producing states.

 

Corn traders are expecting a record US corn crop for 2007 as high corn acreage, overall satisfactory weather and high-tech farm management practices act to boost yields.

 

Some estimate a record crop exceeding 13.3 billion bushels, exceeding the record 11.8 billion bushels produced three years ago

 

The planting of exotic corn hybrids with triple-stacked traits would bring about further gains.

 

Although the corn has not been cleared for export, Syngenta, the corn seed company, is already coming up with a quad-stack hybrid, Bowman said.

 

The triple-stack hybrid seed corn includes built-in protection from corn borer, root worm and a resistance weed killing chemicals as RoundUp or Liberty. The quad-stack will have resistance to each insect and to Roundup and Liberty, he said.

 

Farmers planted 92.9 million acres of their farmland to corn this year, up sharply from 78.3 million last year.

 

The USDA will release its next forecast for 2007 corn production on Oct. 12.