Dentrass: also recommended for silage maize?

Dent strains ('horse tooth') are slightly more suitable for CCM because of the slightly different starch structure than flint strains (round grain). The varieties SY Enermax , SY Impulse (100% dent-Belgian market), and in a sense too SY Calo, SY Telias en S. Y. Brenton (dent character) are therefore good choices for cultivation of CCM.

Also in silage maize, dent varieties can offer an advantage with (sometimes) slightly better starch digestibility and yield potential. However, other properties of dent breeds are less positive for roughage production.

Disadvantages of dentraces in maize
Plant digestibility and starch content (at a 'normal' DM content of 35-38% DM) are almost always disappointing. The slightly better starch digestibility of the grain (a few %) is then quickly canceled out by the lower starch content and the lower plant digestibility. Furthermore, the initial development of the plant is often disappointing - especially in cold/wet conditions - and many dent varieties are late and genetically more susceptible to stem rot. This has a negative influence on silage and storage. That is why Syngenta is still fully committed to flint types for silage maize. 

Dent and flint varieties compared
Below we compare two Powercell™ varieties with six dentraces (multi-year figures). This shows that Powercell(flint) varieties still have an advantage. Powercell varieties are characterized, among other things, by high nutritional value from starch and cell wall digestibility for higher feed intake and more roughage milk. Read more about the varieties with the Powercell trademark.

In the long run, we do expect that Syngenta and other growers will also find suitable varieties for the Benelux that will do just as well or even better than flint varieties.

But at the moment: for the most profitable milk production: choose POWERCELL maize varieties!

1) average SY Nomad/SY Dakini
2) average six dent varieties
3) medium firmness, stem rot and bolting tolerance (the higher the number the better)