No-till corn production would likely reap fewer rewards without good, cold-tolerant hybrids to choose from, says Don Robinson, a farmer who grows continuous no-till corn in northern Maryland.

“You have to pay close attention to the seed that you use with no-till,” he says. “Cold tolerance is a must when planting corn early, or you could try one of the new polymer-coated seeds.”

Soils warm up more slowly after no-till corn production than they do after other crops or other tillage systems that leave less crop residue on the soil surface, Robinson points out. To prevent delays in planting no-till corn, cold tolerance becomes vital, he adds.

“A cold-tolerant seed will still germinate and start growing in the ground in the 50° range,” notes Robinson. “Some hybrid seeds will not germinate until the temperature is closer to 55°, and if the ground remains cold for a longer period, the seed may rot before it germinates.”

Cold-tolerance can be a very beneficial hybrid trait, agrees Bob Kratochvil, a University of Maryland Extension grain and oil crops specialist. However, polymer seed coats may prove problematic, he cautions.

“I would recommend the use of the temperature-activated polymer seed coating only for corn planted exceptionally early – approximately March 25 through April 15 for our region,” says Kratochvil. “I would be much less likely to suggest farmers use this technology for corn that is planted during the optimum window, which runs from about April 20 through May 10, as there will likely be delayed emergence with the polymer-coated seed.”

Polymer seed coats may work in some situations, but they have yet to prove their value for most corn growers under normal planting conditions, confirms Roger Elmore, Extension corn specialist, Iowa State University (ISU). “Polymer coatings have not shown much promise in Iowa,” says Elmore. He refers interested farmers to an ISU Web link on the topic.

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