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This is how you sow catch crop early without loss of yield
The maize growers on the sand and loess soils will have to deal with far-reaching new regulations from 2019. They must sow their catch crop no later than 1 October, or else opt for under-sowing or a subsequent crop of winter grain. Below are some practical tips to deal with this.
A catch crop can be sown immediately or just after the maize seed or in the 4 to 6 leaf stage of the maize. The advantage of under-sowing is that the maize can then (if necessary) also be harvested later than 1 October. The disadvantage is that the results with underseeding are very variable: we regularly see overgrowth, poor emergence and problems with weed control.
For undersowing in the 4 to 6 leaf stage, there is the new mixture LG UNDERSOUND.
Early catch crop and high maize yield
Since the legendary LG 11 variety, we have been working on bringing maize forward in our maize breeding, while increasing the feed value yield. With success: our newest varieties as LG 7005 (very early) and LG 7005 (early) yield, for example, 22,5 to 23 tons of dry matter per hectare in the variety list trials. That's more than many a mid-early breed.
Sowing a (very) early variety also gives more harvest security (also on lighter soils):
- Less chance of mud in the maize harvest;
- In the spring an opportunity to make a cut first gras to harvest;
- Time to wait for good sowing conditions in a wet spring;
- More opportunity to sow grass in the fall.
Sow early to harvest early?
Some growers think they can bring their harvest date forward by sowing the maize earlier. However, this is not the solution! Corn adjusts its bloom to the length of the day. Sowing early does not necessarily result in early flowering and therefore also not in early ripening. So always sow the maize at a sufficiently high soil temperature and when you do not cause any structural damage.
My advice: with (very) early maize varieties from LG you sow a catch crop before October 1 without compromising on maize yield!
View our ultra early, very early and early varieties for the 2019 season.
