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Corn trials focus on lower heat units for BC


Planting window made significant difference in germination this year


by DAVID SCHMIDT MATSQUI – The date


growers planted this spring is making a huge difference to this year’s corn crop, says Alexis Arthur of Pacific Forage Bag. “If you planted before May 15, things look good. If you planted later, germination was quite varied,” she told growers attending the Pacific Forage corn trials field day at Rose Gate Farm in Matsqui. The field day was one of


four Pacific Forage held in September; the others took place at their trial sites in Sumas, Enderby and Chemainus. Arthur says those trials are becoming more


important than ever, since the government is no longer conducting corn trials in BC or Alberta. Although trials continue in Manitoba and Ontario, they are focused on higher heat unit varieties more suited to the production of grain corn rather than the lower heat unit varieties being used to produce forage corn in BC. As a result, Arthur plans to post complete yield data on all the varieties in her trials so growers can make informed decisions on which varieties to plant in future. In addition to trialing existing and new varieties from Pacific Forage’s two primary seed suppliers, Pride


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • OCTOBER 2018


Alexis Arthur talks to corn growers during the Pacific Forage Bag corn trials field day at Bomi Farms in Enderby, one of four field days PFB held in Abbotsford, Enderby and Chemainus last month. CATHY GLOVER PHOTO


and Thunder Seed, Arthur is trialing several new varieties from Quarry Seed this year and hopes to offer them next season. She notes Manitoba- based Quarry Seeds is doing


more work with low heat unit corn than some of the more established breeding companies and may be more amenable to developing varieties with traits BC growers are looking for. Arthur stressed that a


variety’s heat unit rating is only a guide as to how long it will take to mature, telling growers the number of heat units “doesn’t always indicate which variety will finish first.” In fact, the trial showed several varieties with higher heat units were actually maturing more quickly than others with a lower heat unit rating.


COVER CROPS? On a positive note, both


Arthur and BC Ministry of Agriculture entomologist Tracy Hueppelsheuser noted corn rootworm has not been as devastating a pest this year as last. However, that does not mean it is non-existent. “Last year, we were getting 400 insects per week in our traps but this year we are averaging only about 20 per week,” says BCMA technician Ryan DeJong, who has spent the past two springs and summers monitoring the pest. “Richmond is a hot spot, then Matsqui to Agassiz.” Hueppelsheuser says the


key is to plant early, practice crop rotation and treat fields with Force insecticide. She complimented Rose


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Gate for following those guidelines, noting it planted its corn in a different field this year. “You should only plant corn in the same field for a maximum of five years,” she BILL 1-888-770-7333 told growers.


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