Field Drying of TopCross High‐Oil Corn Grain

Abstract

Most high‐oil (HO) corn (Zea mays L.) grown in the USA utilizes the TopCross system, which involves planting a blend (TC Blend) of two types of corn. Field grain drying of TC Blends may be slower than normal (low oil) corn hybrids of similar maturity, which could result in later harvest or increased costs of artificial drying after harvest. The objective of this study was to determine whether HO grain produced by TC Blends dries to moisture percentages typically associated with corn harvests on the same calendar dates as normal corn grain. Field drying of corn grain was followed in five TC Blends and their normal counterparts (check hybrids) grown in strip plots established at multiple locations in central Ohio in 1995 and 1996. Moisture measurements of grain from HO and check hybrids during field drying and at harvest were determined using the USDA approved air‐oven drying method, commercial electronic moisture testers, or both. Differences in field grain drying and grain moisture at harvest between the TC Blends and their respective check hybrids were generally small and not significant (P = 0.05), with only one of the five pairs showing large differences each year. Differences in grain drying were greater in 1995 than in 1996, suggesting that environmental conditions may influence differences in the time required for HO and check hybrid grain to reach harvest moisture levels. Results of this study indicate that HO corn can be produced without additional grain‐drying costs.