Maize impresses in northwest trials
Latest results from the Hutchinsons northern maize trials show the 2025 season has been the best for many years in this region ...
The demonstration, kindly hosted by the Fisher family at Smalmstown Farm near Carlisle, featured more than 20 new and established varieties, grown under film, and in the open, providing a unique comparison of the agronomic traits and yield potential of each one in the challenging growing conditions of northwestern England.
“Although crops in other parts of the country did struggle with the dry spring and summer, we were generally lucky with the weather in this area, with rain at the right times, and a kind autumn, which led to some excellent results, despite drilling the plots three to four weeks later than normal,” says Hutchinsons agronomist, Jim Clark.
“Luckily, we were able to leave them to be harvested as late as physically possible, and the results are pretty good.”
Top yields and quality
Freshweight yields across all varieties sown under film in late April/early May were around 5t/ha above average, at 45-50 t/ha (18-20 t/acre), although some reached an “unprecedented” 54-59 t/ha (22-24 t/acre). Added to this, feed value has been very good overall, Mr Clark says.
“Starch content in some later-sown plots was slightly lower, mainly due to the ‘dilution effect’ where plants grew so big, but when you look down the results from our trials, most are in the 30-35% range for starch, with dry matter typically around 30%.
“We’ve seen good results on-farm too, as most maize went into excellent seedbeds from the beginning of April. Some crops easily did 15 t/ha of dry matter, which massively outperformed multi-cut grass silage at nearer 8-10 t/ha of total dry matter. On many farms, maize will have been one of the cheapest crops to grow this year.”
Stand-out performers
Amongst the 20+ varieties tested, some familiar names once again came out top, including best-seller P7034, with a freshweight yield of 52 t/ha, 30.6% DM, and 32.4% starch.
“Despite a very different growing season to 2024, it’s had another good year in our trials and on-farm, proving it’s very solid variety for this region.”
The Bayer varieties DKC 3204 and DKC 3218 also impressed for the second year running, with DKC 3204 yielding 52 t/ha freshweight, 29% DM and 32% starch, equating to a 15 t/ha DM yield.
“It’s not quite as early maturing as P7034, so is probably one to sow a bit earlier than we did, but it still came out well.”
DKC 3218 averaged 43 t/ha freshweight, 34% DM, and 31% starch, resulting in a DM yield of 14.7 t/ha. “It’s a variety that we’ve typically sown a bit later, but it looked good and everybody liked it, so this has given us confidence in the variety for next season.”
Another highlight, and one to examine more closely next year, is the new coded variety from Pioneer (P68106), which had the highest DM content of all varieties trialled this year, at 37.2%, with 29.8% starch. Although freshweight yield was not the highest at 40 t/ha (16.5 t/acre), the high DM content, meant total DM yield per hectare was close to the top performers.
“It’s an interesting variety for people either wanting to get fields off early, or those drilling later after a cut of grass. We trialled it under film this year, but will see how it performs in the open next season; a 10% difference in DM is a lot, so we think it could be one to grow in the open in the northwest.”
Mr Clark notes that P68106 does not appear to be as early as its FAO 150 maturity rating suggests, although it still managed to produce a high DM content. “I think it might be more like a FAO 160-165 maturity, so it’s one we will look at more closely next year.
“There are many good varieties out there, with something to fit every system and situation, but you need to make sure you seek good advice and select the most suitable variety for what you want to achieve,” he advises.
Open ground promise
While the vast majority of maize in the northwest is grown under film, Mr Clark recognises increasing interest in growing maize in the open, given the costs of film and potential pressure on dairy margins.
He acknowledges bird damage to young plants is a perennial issue when trialling open ground maize within an area so dominated by crops under film, however there were still some promising results last season. The most impressive of which was the ultra-early variety, KWS Temprano, which averaged 34% DM and 30.9% starch.
“To get that level of dry matter in the open in Cumbria is phenomenal and will take some beating.”
P7326 also had a good year in the open, and under film, so may be worth considering, he adds. “It’s been around for many years, but is very reliable and remains a good management tool that will still have a place in some rotations.”
Mr Clark believes growing maize in the open is more specialist than growing it under film, and says there are several key things growers need to get right, besides variety choice.
“The main one is to get it in the ground early, ideally in April. Sowing maize in the open at the end of May in Cumbria is like playing Russian roulette. Even with the very early varieties, you’re pushing it. You also need to control weeds early, feed crops well, and use a placement fertiliser.”
Yield benefit from placing fertiliser
Another trial at Smalmstown Farm once again highlighted the value of placement fertiliser in all maize crops, open and under film.
Three varieties were sown under film, plus two in the open, each one compared with and without Primary-P placement fertiliser applied with seed at drilling.
Overall, across all three varieties, freshweight yields were 5-6 t/ha greater where the placement fertiliser was used, while the uplift in DM yield was around 2 t/ha, worth the equivalent of £300/ha in extra value, says Mr Clark.
“Given the favourable growing conditions this year, the benefit perhaps isn’t as big as we’ve seen in previous years, but it still more than pays for itself and is a far more efficient way of using nutrients than traditional DAP applications.”
He suggests greater focus needs to be given to maize nutrition, and is something next year’s trials may well focus more on.
One option being considered is to look at using a drone to apply foliar nutrition to the crop later in the season, beyond the point at which it is possible to pass through with a tractor. This builds on leaf testing this year, which showed noticeably higher nitrogen levels in the leaf of crops that received a foliar protected urea product, compared with those that only received granular nitrogen.
Given the success of using a drone for undersowing grass within standing maize this season, Mr Clark is keen to explore other potential uses for the technology, such as late season nutrition.
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