DuPont Pioneer introduces three new brown midrib corn hybrids

DuPont Pioneer is introducing three new Pioneer® brand corn hybrids with the brown midrib (BMR) trait for 2014. These new products offer the traits growers expect from BMR hybrids, along with strong agronomics, in a broader range of maturities.

DuPont Pioneer researchers expanded overall BMR breeding efforts by starting a new program with the goal of developing unique inbred parent lines and hybrids expressing the BMR trait. They looked for lines that demonstrated BMR forage quality along with performance stability, excellent yield, and agronomic strengths such as root-lodging resistance and standability for ease of harvest.

“Rather than converting existing hybrids to BMR, we chose to develop new silage hybrids incorporating proven Pioneer genetics,” said Tom Kevern, DuPont Pioneer research scientist at the DuPont Pioneer research center in Janesville, Wis.

The new BMR products all include the Herculex® XTRA, LibertyLink® and Roundup Ready® Corn 2 traits for insect resistance and herbicide tolerance. These three hybrids join longer maturity BMR hybrids in the Pioneer lineup:

• Pioneer® brand P0238XR — 102-day relative maturity, the earliest-maturing Pioneer BMR hybrid, with high starch levels, very good fiber digestibility, strong emergence and good roots.
• P0783XR — 107-day BMR silage hybrid with excellent fiber digestibility, tall plants, good roots and a good leaf disease resistance rating.
• P1180XR — 111-day maturity BMR silage hybrid that flowers early for a wide area of adaptation, including northern growing areas. It features excellent stand emergence and establishment, plus good disease tolerance.

These products offer better potential silage yields, higher starch content and excellent fiber digestibility.

“BMR development at Pioneer focuses on three key factors,” said Kyle Whitaker, DuPont Pioneer marketing manager for global forages. “We want these hybrids to deliver strong yields — both tonnage and starch. In addition, our BMR hybrids have to offer excellent digestibility and a strong agronomic package.”

BMR corn hybrids have 10 percent to 25 percent less lignin in the stalk’s fiber. This results in improved digestibility, which increases the feed intake of dairy and beef cattle. Higher feed intake is responsible for greater milk production in dairy cattle and faster rate of gain in beef cattle.