By Bayer Crop Sciences

Farmers make numerous, critical management decisions every season. For corn and soybean producers, perhaps no decision is more important than selecting the right seed products for the following growing season.

Seed decisions have a direct impact on yield potential and return on investment, as well as helping farmers combat the many environmental challenges that can significantly reduce the number of bushels produced.

Jim McDermott, DEKALB® Asgrow® technical agronomist serving northwest Iowa, says the first step in the seed decisions process should be to review yield data following harvest. “Look at data comparisons not only on your own farm, but also at multiple different sites that have similar weather and soil types,” he advises. “And make sure you’re including a broad geography so you can get a big picture and gather as much yield data as possible upon which to base your 2023 decisions.”

McDermott says farmers should next consider the environmental factors that have impacted their crop performance. “One of the most important is stress tolerance, especially in a year like this when many parts of the country have experienced severe hot, dry weather,” he says.

Standability in corn is another key, he says, especially with the high winds and derechos some parts of the country have experienced. “Identify which products are most susceptible to greensnap or root and stalk lodging, and consider hybrids you are comfortable with for good standability.”

Utilize defensive traits

McDermott says defensive agronomic traits are always important and should be a focus of the seed decision process. For soybeans, he recommends farmers evaluate products that offer protection against the major soybean diseases and make sound risk management decisions for next year, not knowing which diseases they may face. For example, Asgrow® brand XtendFlex® soybean products offer built-in tolerance to white mold, Phytophthora, brown stem rot and iron deficiency chlorosis.

When defending against corn disease, McDermott says genetics that protect against Goss’s wilt are especially important in affected geographies, since there is no in-season treatment to manage that disease. DEKALB® Disease Shield® genetics provide broad protection against Goss’s wilt as well as other major corn diseases, including anthracnose stalk rot, gray leaf spot, northern corn leaf blight and southern rust.

“Tar spot is a disease that’s on everybody’s radar,” McDermott adds. “There aren’t many hybrids yet rated for tar spot, so it’s difficult to select products that offer protection. Fortunately, it can be controlled effectively season-long with fungicides.”

Explore new products

Even if farmers are satisfied with the performance of their current product lineup, McDermott says it makes sense to consider new products that may offer yield improvements. “Because of the latest breeding advances, corn yield gains are much faster now than they used to be, and soybean variety turnover is very rapid as well. I encourage farmers to look at new corn and soybean products. There’s a lot to gain by exploring what options are out there.”

New DEKALB Asgrow products for 2023

The DEKALB and Asgrow brands are offering an exciting new product lineup for next season. The DEKALB brand is launching 29 new products spanning the 75 to 120 relative maturity geographies.

“The 2023 launch class is really exciting,” says Jamie Horton, DEKALB brand manager. “It’s going to be one of the largest new product introductions we’ve had in recent years, and in a lot of our key corn- growing areas.”

Thirty-one new Asgrow® brand XtendFlex® products will debut next season. XtendFlex is Bayer’s triple-stacked soybean trait containing tolerance to dicamba, glyphosate and glufosinate to provide more flexibility to help control tough weeds, including waterhemp, Palmer amaranth and marestail.

“Our 2023 class features all of the key factors that farmers are looking for in the products they select,”  says Asgrow brand manager, Clint Chaffer. “We’ve seen some great performance results, including the proven high yield potential of Asgrow XtendFlex varieties compared to other competitive soybean trait platforms.”

For more information, farmers can contact their DEKALB Asgrow dealer or visit DEKALBAsgrow.com/SeedFinder.

Bayer is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship^® (ETS). Bayer products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance with Bayer’s Policy for Commercialization of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity Crops. Commercialized products have been approved for import into key export markets with functioning regulatory systems. Any crop or material produced from this product can only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries where all necessary regulatory approvals have been granted. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their grain handler or product purchaser to confirm their buying position for this product. Excellence Through Stewardship^® is a registered trademark of Excellence Through Stewardship.

ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS. It is a violation of federal and state law to use any pesticide product other than in accordance with its labeling. NOT ALL formulations of dicamba, glyphosate or glufosinate are approved for in-crop use with products with XtendFlex^® Technology. ONLY USE FORMULATIONS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY LABELED FOR SUCH USES AND APPROVED FOR SUCH USE IN THE STATE OF APPLICATION. Contact the U.S. EPA and your state pesticide regulatory agency with any questions about the approval status of dicamba herbicide products for in-crop use with products with XtendFlex^® Technology.

Performance may vary, from location to location and from year to year, as local growing, soil and weather conditions may vary. Growers should evaluate data from multiple locations and years whenever possible and should consider the impacts of these conditions on the grower’s fields.

Products with XtendFlex^® Technology contains genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate, glufosinate and dicamba. Glyphosate will kill crops that are not tolerant to glyphosate. Dicamba will kill crops that are not tolerant to dicamba. Glufosinate will kill crops that are not tolerant to glufosinate. Contact your seed brand dealer or refer to the Bayer Technology Use Guide for recommended weed control programs.

LibertyLink^® and the Water Droplet Design^® is a trademark of BASF Corporation. Asgrow and the A Design^®, Asgrow^®, Bayer, Bayer Cross, DEKALB and Design^®, DEKALB^®, Disease Shield^®, Roundup Ready 2 Xtend^®, Roundup Ready 2 Yield^® and XtendFlex^® are trademarks of Bayer Group. ©2022 Bayer Group. All Rights Reserved.