Planting Date and Hybrid Influence On Corn Silage Yield and Quality.

Early planting of corn for silage should be considered as an important strategy for integration with early planted cover crops for maximum end-of-season nitrogen uptake. In 2005, 2007, and 2008 experiments were conducted at the UMass Crops Research and Education Center to study the effect of date of planting on silage yield and forage quality of full- season and shorter-season hybrids.  Shorter-season hybrids produced 6.5% less silage yield but 4.6% higher ear yield compared to full-season hybrids, averaged over all years and planting dates. The ear/stover ratio should be considered an important criterion for silage quality. Results indicated that delay in planting reduced silage and ear yield of both hybrid groups linearly. Reductions in silage yield due to delayed planting after May 1 were 388 kg ha^-1 and 400 kg ha^-1 per day for shorter-season and full- season hybrids, respectively. A combination of early planting and use of shorter-season corn hybrids provides the opportunity for farmers to plant cover crops early enough to maximize N recovery after corn harvest and fall manure application.