Species and Varieties

Agronomic crops come in many different species and varieties, each of which will require specific conditions and care to maximize production. Penn State Extension has a wide selection of resources to help you choose the best species and varieties of agronomic crops.

Choosing the Right Seed Variety of Your Agronomic Crops

Variety selection is crucial to achieving high yields and better quality crops. It’s also one of the most important decisions for a producer to make every year. Selecting the right variety is the cornerstone of a crop management plan that is both effective and successful. There are many considerations to factor into this crucial decision.

Yield Potential and Yield Stability

This is the most important characteristic when selecting a variety to grow. Ideally, it should be a variety that is high-yielding and can be grown successfully in many locations and situations.

Growers are able to evaluate how a particular hybrid performed in a given year by following yield replication trials. These annual trials also provide an insight into a hybrid’s yield consistency over time.

Seed Quality

Seeds of the highest quality will have a high germination success rate, be of a uniform size, and high varietal purity. They will have no weeds, other crop seeds, or green immature seeds. They should have no disease or be contaminated with fungal or viral pathogens. The seed coat will be intact, with no cracking or splits.

Pest and Disease Resistance

Planting varieties with a known history of resistance to diseases such as leaf and stem rust, septoria and tan spot, Fusarium Head Blight, and root rots, is the most cost-effective method of disease and pest control. Strategies for planting corn and soybean varieties play a vital role as well.

Choosing the right pest and disease-resistant varieties is a complex process. Seed companies, for example, use different disease resistance ratings. If certain diseases dominate an area, this information should also be factored in when selecting disease-resistant crops.

The Penn State Agronomy Guide covers pest management and provides comprehensive information on crop and soil management.

Field Corn and Seed Corn Hybrids

Selecting the best species of corn plays a significant role in the profitability of a corn production enterprise. There are several characteristics to consider and the right selection can make an average difference of between 5 to 10 bushels per acre. There is a lot of information available to help in the decision-making process, such as independent and unbiased PA Commercial Grain and Silage Hybrid Corn Test Reports.

Pests can be a big problem with agronomic crops; however, seed companies are now offering a range of different packages of transgenic traits to protect against insects and herbicides. There are so many choices that it can be confusing, but the Handy Bt Trait Table is an excellent resource to help with this process.

To maximize feed production, many producers look to double-cropping corn. In Pennsylvania, this strategy has a good success rate, but careful management is required.

Soybean Varieties

To help producers choose the best variety of soybean, variety trials are conducted annually. The reports provide information regarding the performance of soybeans grown in Pennsylvania. Penn State Extension has a Soybean Variety Trials Reports Archive for producers who would like to check the performance of certain varieties in previous years.

Winter Wheat, Barley, and Cereal Grains Varieties

When purchasing seeds for upcoming crop production, quality is another factor to bear in mind. Choosing seeds that are certified ensures varietal purity, optimum seed health, uniform and fast germination, reduced number of weed seeds, and lower risk of introducing noxious weeds into your fields. You’re also less likely to introduce unwanted wheat and barley diseases.

With regards to the performance of barley and winter wheat, Penn State Extension conducted trials last year that can be used to supplement industry performance tests, and other independent testing data.

Grain, Fiber, and CBD Hemp Varieties

Extensive trials relating to hemp production have been taking place and in 2018, the Agricultural Improvement Act, or the 2018 Farm Bill, was passed. This made the cultivation of Hemp in Pennsylvania legal. Growing industrial hemp is an exciting new industry and if you want to learn more about it, there is a 2020 Hemp Research Update webinar.