Unless you frequent industry field days you may be unfamiliar with a new class of corn hybrids heading our way from the Mid-West. “Short Corn” is just that, a shorter stature corn hybrid.

The difference in plant height comes from reduced internode spacing, not a fewer number of nodes or leaves on the plant. Interestingly enough, current commercial “short corn” hybrids have shortened (relative to non-short corn) internode lengths only below the ear. Above the ear and to the terminal of the plant, node spacing is similar to other hybrids. Currently, short corn is not a genetically engineered (GMO) trait, but has been classically bred from germplasm already in existence. Future generations of this technology are expected to possess a specific “short corn” gene, requiring genome editing and will therefore be a GMO product.

Leaf architecture is also substantially more vertical in the hybrids we have been able to evaluate. This is reportedly due to the higher seeding rates associated with short-corn, therefore still allowing each plant access to sunlight.

Why Short Corn?

While the agronomic performance of these hybrids is still being evaluated, maybe the two most practical implications of “short corn” are (1) resistance to wind and (2) in-season application of crop protection products.

Damage due to straight-line winds is a very real concern in corn production. While a larger concern throughout the Mid-West, shorter plants do provide a deterrence against lodging especially as plants set their ears and add weight toward the upper portions of the plant. Consequently, ear height is also lower on short-corn hybrids.

In-season (think V12 and later) applications of crop protection products such as fungicides and fertilizers are restricted to aerial applications once plants get past the ~V8 growth stage. However, a shorter-stature plant allows for ground-based applications of various products later or throughout the growing season.

Throughout western Tennessee, we are evaluating multiple components of short-corn hybrids in our production systems from fertility, seeding rate, hybrid testing and more. Currently, the commercially available short-corn hybrids are not well-suited to our area of production. We expect this to change in the coming years, and our research aims to stay at the forefront of this technology as it continues to work through various phases of R&D and field studies.

Bayer Crop Science has graciously allowed us to field some of these hybrids in our Research & Extension program. Preliminary results confirm their recommendations that competitive hybrids may still be a few years off, but that optimal seeding rates for short-corn is likely higher relative to other hybrids. It is unclear if fertility programs will be impacted by the higher seeding rates we are investigating.