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To ensure optimum crop performance and feed quality, farmers are being urged to use the best available trial data when making sowing decisions this spring.
Increasingly erratic weather over recent seasons has highlighted the challenge of planting and harvesting maize under difficult conditions. Now, more than ever, it’s vital that farmers select maize varieties with optimal maturing and performance characteristics, while suiting farm’s specific climate and soil conditions.
“Data is key to driving the best business decision,” explains Andy Stainthorpe Seed and Silage Inoculants Sales Manager, at Corteva Agriscience UK & Ireland.
Pioneer Accurate Crop Testing System (PACTS®) trial results provide realistic data, gathered from 18 sites around the UK.
Andy says: “PACTS trials offer reliable, multi-year performance data on hybrid maize performance, in real-world conditions, at farm sites across the country, demonstrating how hybrids perform in different environments.
“These trials are conducted on commercial farms using standard farming practices, in contrast to many other trials which are managed with specialist equipment for micro plots incorporating more rigid management protocols. This means sowing, spraying, and harvesting decisions are determined by the host farmer, ultimately providing realistic and practical data on how maize hybrids perform under actual farm conditions.”
Each PACTS trial consists of 12 to 21 plots planted across uniform field areas, with a control hybrid included multiple times to help account for soil variation. Typically, plots are six or eight rows wide and around 50 metres in length.
“Trials are classified as ‘favourable’ or ‘less favourable’ based on local heat accumulation in that area, allowing farmers to determine the suitability of specific hybrids for their own land,” continues Andy. “Every plot undergoes detailed sample analysis, measuring dry matter, starch content, digestibility, and fibre composition to provide a comprehensive evaluation of silage quality.”
With data collected over multiple years, PACTS trials provide a clearer picture of how maize hybrids perform in a range of conditions, allowing farmers to choose varieties with characteristics that will deliver the best results for them.
Andy says: “With farmers under pressure to farm more efficiently and reduce input costs while adapting to changing climatic conditions, PACTS trials are a vital data-driven decision-making resource for livestock farmers to make use of.”
Mark Oldroyd is Farm Manager at the ‘Angus Dart’ farm trial site in Oxford, where he oversees a mixed farming enterprise of around 650 dairy cows and 2,000 acres of arable, with 500 acres down to maize.
“We have lots of variability across our farm in terms of soil type and topography, so selecting and growing a range of maize hybrids, specific to conditions, is key to ensuring yield, quality and consistency,” explains Mark, who’s been running PACTS trials on the farm for over 20 years. “The data that we get from the trials is invaluable in helping guide variety selection, and its especially important now weather conditions are having such an impact during harvest and challenging yields. We need to ensure that the maize we do grow is of the highest quality and we aim to produce maize silage with a DM of 30% and starch at 32% or above.
“Last season, we trialled 25 hybrids across the farm as part of our normal crop rotations. While it does require some extra work and input, the information we get out is so valuable it’s well worth the effort. The data we gather is also helping other farmers make better informed decisions and improve business performance – it’s good to be doing our bit for the industry.”
Results from last year’s trials and customer feedback have helped identify a range of Pioneer maize hybrids to suit a wide variety of farms.
Andy says: “Farmers are typically seeking high yield and early maturity in their maize hybrids, and we’ve identified top-performing varieties across a range of conditions. P7326 remained the UK’s best-selling maize hybrid in 2024 due to its early maturity, strong cold tolerance, and reliable performance on less favourable sites. For those seeking a very early option, P7381 has delivered excellent dry matter yields and consistent performance across different seasons.
“Selecting the right maize hybrid is essential to ensuring both yield and feed quality,” concludes Andy. “The PACTS trials help take the guesswork out of variety selection, offering farmers clear data on hybrid performance across multiple years and locations.”
For more information and to access the latest PACTS® results, visit Pioneer Maize Solutions or contact your local Pioneer representative.
ENDS
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Media enquiries:
Laura bowyer
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07979 142159
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Email: ukhotline@corteva.com