Positioning Preceon™ Smart Corn

The Preceon™ Smart Corn System featuring short stature corn (SSC) products, produced by Bayer Crop Science, offers growers increased protection from greensnap and lodging, season long access for more timely and precise application of inputs, and the opportunity to maximize yield potential through input optimization, planting rates, and field product placement. A University of Illinois trial in 2022 compared three SSC products and three tall corn products using standard and enhanced management practices. The SSC products with enhanced management practices demonstrated an average yield advantage of 16 bu/acre over traditional tall corn with enhanced management practices.

To achieve higher potential yields, enhanced management should be used. It starts with a system management approach of recommendations to help maximize the performance of Preceon™ Smart Corn.

The first recommendation is to select fields based on slope and past performances. Fields that are flat to a slight roll can help minimize harvestability challenges of low ear height. Good productive soils (>180 bu/acre potential) can help maximize the yield potential of this system. Fields with large slopes and poorly drained soil should be avoided.

The next enhanced management recommendation for Preceon™ Smart Corn is increasing the planting rate. Trial data shows that Preceon™ Smart Corn responds to higher populations more than traditional tall corn (Figure 1). Suggested population ranges for SSC products are from 36,000 to 42,000 plants per acre (ppa). A general recommendation is to increase SSC seeding rates by 6,000 to 8,000 ppa over a grower’s normal planting rate. Therefore, if the normal seeding rate was 34,000 ppa, the SSC seeding rate would be 40,000 to 42,000 ppa. With the Preceon™ Smart Corn System, a Climate FieldView™ digital insights tailored planting recommendation is provided based on a combination of historical field data and Bayer Crop Science Research points to create customized planting rate scripts that come through the Climate FieldView™ platform.

With less height to catch wind there is a reduced risk of lodging, greensnap, and goose-necking. Due to this improved plant standability, farmers can plant higher densities, which help provide the potential to produce more on every acre.

The Preceon™ Smart Corn System, including short stature corn products developed through traditional breeding, is commercially available for planting in the 2025 growing season via the Ground Breakers^® program.

With the plant height of SSC products being less than seven feet, in-season fertilizer applications using ground application equipment is possible. Splitting fertility can help improve yield potential by providing more available nitrogen (N) during critical periods of crop development. Using an over-the-top drag tube to apply an additional 30 lb/acre of N at VT growth stage, the short stature corn had an average extra boost of 4.8 bu/acre compared to tall corn (Figures 2 and 3).

Another thing to think differently about is the N needs and uptake curves of New Era corn products versus Old Era corn products. New Era products take up more N and have more uptake after silking compared to Old Era products (Figure 4).^1,2 This places a greater importance of insuring that adequate N is available at specific growth stages which makes season long access to the field more important. Today’s corn products get more of their yield potential from kernel depth and width which increases kernel weight. Because of the trend of using fuller season products that have a longer grain fill period to help maximize yield potential and deeper, wider kernels means more N is needed later in the growing season to help impact yield potential positively (Figure 4).¹

In conclusion, the Preceon™ Smart Corn System offers opportunities to help optimize field placement, planting densities, crop inputs, and increased yield potential.

Channel Agronomist
Neal Borgmeyer

Sources

¹Vyn, T.J., Mueller, S., Chen, K., Omonode, T.D., West, A., Farmers and other Students. 2016. Nitrogen management for older versus modern corn hybrids. Presentation to Fluid Technology Roundup in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on December 6, 2016. Purdue University.

²Mueller, S.M. and Vyn, T.J. 2016. Maize plant resilience to N stress and post-silking N capacity changes over time: A review. Frontiers in Plant Science.

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