SUCCESSFUL SILAGE GROWING FOR THE 23/24 SEASON
By Dr Mike Barrow (Ph.D Agric), Consultant Maize Breeder to Capstone Seeds
Due to an El Niño season coupled with highly erratic climate changes, dairy farmers will have to adapt their silage plantings this season. There are several fundamental aspects to ensuring good silage yields under high temps and erratic rainfall conditions: Different hybrid maturities (Early, medium and med-late flowering) should be planted to avoid all plants flowering and maturing simultaneously during periods of heat or moisture stress. Planting hybrids with different genetic backgrounds will ensure variable responses to these stresses. Planting should be spread over several weeks/months to ensure varying responses to stresses, and to allow more extended silage cutting based on differing hybrid dry-down characteristics. High performance “race horse” single cross hybrids generally flower over a short period, and do not have the pollen shed and silking variability essential for long flowering periods.
CAPSTONE MAIZE HYBRIDS are available in an inexpensive range of maturities, bred for variability and longer flowering periods, essential to high silage yields under stressful conditions.
Late maturing hybrids - lead to higher yield!
Capstone Hybrid Maize Trial Data
For more information contact a Sale Representative in your area:
Cecil van Rooyen - National Sales Manager SA
+27 66 305 8751 | cecil@capstoneseeds.com
Roelf van Niekerk - Agronomic Crops Sales Manager
Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Western FS, Northern Cape, Limpopo and Northwest
+27 83 949 5749 | roelf@capstoneseeds.com
Neville Young - Retail Sales Manager
Eastern FS, Northern Natal Co-ops, Swaziland and Lesotho
+27 82 654 2162 | neville@capstoneseeds.com
Mark Wattam - Eastern Cape and Swaziland and Namibia
+27 82 603 8471 | mark@capstoneseeds.com
Steve Thomson - Technical Sales KZN +27 82 327 8083 | steve@capstoneseeds.com
Quintin Deysel - Office Sales - +27 83 845 3383 | quintin@capstoneseeds.com