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Could the future be now for short stature corn?

Could the future be now for short stature corn? 

AgReliant Genetics director of product development Mike Kavanaugh says growers are eager to learn more about short stature corn.

“As farmers look out there on social media, they would think that the market has already been taken over by short stature corn. And really, that’s not the case. Right now we’re in the system development phase.”

He tells Brownfield AgReliant could release short stature corn commercially by the end of the decade, but a lot of questions remain.

“We’ve wanted to make sure that we can show farmers what it looks like at 34,000 plants per acre and 42,000 plants per acre in comparison to a traditional hybrid that we would consider a low-eared hybrid right now.”

He says the main benefits of short stature corn are improved standability and a longer window for in-field nutrient and crop protection applications. 

Brownfield interviewed Kavanaugh during an AgReliant Genetics innovations meeting in Ames, Iowa Thursday.