Enhancing Crop Establishment with Genetic Expression Seed Traits

The saying “Knee-high by the fourth of July” has long been popular with farmers across the Midwest US. The time-honored phrase suggests that if corn plants reached knee height by early July, the crop was off to a good start and farmers could expect a bountiful harvest.

However, with advancements in modern agriculture, not only is this adage dated (corn should be many feet taller), but early-season stand establishment indicators give growers more reliable insights into early season crop stress, plant health, and ultimately yield potential.

For a crop to become properly established, seeds must germinate and emerge uniformly. Limiting factors such as seed quality, soil conditions, pest pressure, and many others can cause stand establishment challenges. When uneven corn emergence occurs, late-emerging plants are disadvantaged in competing for resources such as water and nutrients compared to earlier-emerged plants, leading to smaller ear development and harvest complications.

Inbred corn, due to inbreeding depression, is particularly vulnerable to poor crop establishment, leading to low uniformity and poor-quality seed, which ultimately limits hybrid seed production yields. Hybrid corn that establishes more quickly is more resilient to both abiotic stressors (salinity, heat, drought, flood) and biotic stressors (pests, diseases). For soybeans, establishing healthy, uniform stands is crucial for maximizing profitability, even though soybeans can tolerate reduced stands better than many other crops.

BioLumic agronomists collect thousands of stand establishment measurements each season to evaluate the Genetic Expression Trait packages on young corn and soybeans. They measure plant population, emergence uniformity, and seedling vigor shortly after emergence to provide a comprehensive assessment of each trait package’s performance, tailored to each unique cultivar.

In past years, our results have demonstrated significant gains in stand establishment, and this season is no different. Our team has been visiting fields over the past few weeks, walking plots, collecting data, and observing early agronomic responses to pre-commercial Genetic Expression Trait packages.

Soon we will be sharing the early insights from those data collection events. Follow along, and if you're interested in learning more about Genetic Expression Traits for seed companies, check out our row crop webpage or reach out directly: bd@biolumic.com