Source: Jeff Coulter, Extension Corn Agronomist

Field work just around the corner, and now is the time to re-evaluate agronomic decisions related to corn planting. With support from the Minnesota Corn Growers Association and others, we have been able to conduct a number of trials to determine how corn yield responds to plant population for various situations in Minnesota.

In 2008, research was conducted at Lamberton and Waseca, MN to determine how planting date impacted optimum plant population. In this study, the economically optimum plant population was not consistently influenced by planting date (Figure 1). However, yield potential was greatest with early planting, and the optimum plant population with the early planting date was 2,400 plants per acre higher than that with the mid-May planting.

View the rest of the article here