The first ever planting of the PRIDE Seeds demo plot in Pain Court, ON has been completed under the direction of Market Development Agronomist Matt Chapple.

The new demo plot is located on the property of PRIDE’s head office, adjacent to the new PRIDE Seeds Education Centre, which was unveiled earlier this year.

  

The project will help showcase PRIDE’s leading corn and soybean portfolio, and will be home to 31 different hybrids, including several that are new for 2020. The hybrids feature six different trait options aimed at delivering effective weed and pest control.

Almost a dozen experimental hybrids have been planted and the data collected throughout the season will help determine when or if they will become part of the PRIDE Seeds product line-up. 

The diverse selection of grain corn products being grown are in the 2575-3400 CHU range, while silage-specific and dual-purpose hybrids are in the 2150-3300 CHU range. They will be assessed based on their forage quality and tonnage.

A wide selection of soybeans will also be featured between MG 1.8 (3000 CHU) and MG 2.8 (3250) and include three experimental soybean treatments which will be assessed for their ability to counter early-season disease and insect threats. A brand new, herbicide-tolerant trait for soybeans is also being studied as part of the project.

 

The ongoing collection of data at the site is crucial to developing products that can meet the challenges of farms across Canada, and one section of the site will be focused on delivering agronomic tips to help growers elevate corn yields.

The agronomy learning block will also be used to assess the impacts of four specific planter features, including down pressure, closing wheel pressure and singulation, and to determine optimum seed populations.

Both the education centre and demo plot will be used for dealer and grower meetings, so participants are able to see the product offering firsthand.