The Yield of Drought Tolerant Corn Hybrids in Sandy Loam and Silt Loam Soils.

Drought tolerant hybrids were developed to handle stressful conditions when water is limited. Available water is closely affected by soil texture; therefore hybrid placement on different soils is crucial. The objective of this research was to test three different corn hybrids, two that have high tolerance to drought, verse one high yield.  During the growing season of 2012, the fields grown with the three corn hybrids were monitored across the seventeen plots in Indiana.  Of all locations, the yield and soil texture were analyzed and interpreted according to the most tolerance to stress and drought.  In addition, observation was conducted to see the relationship between yields and soil textural classification. The results show one of the drought tolerant hybrids produced a higher yield on average than the high yield competitor. However, the difference was not significant at 5% probability. In poor water holding soils such as sandy loam, the drought tolerant hybrids yielded on average 10 bushels per acre higher than the high yielding hybrid. In contrast, the high yielding hybrid yielded on average 20 bushels higher on better water holding soils such as silt loam. In summary, it is important to place the right hybrid on the right soil texture to maximize profitability.