There was a 7-10 bushel per acre yield advantage to being able to switch hybrids on-the-go in trials conducted in South Dakota last year.

The trails were conducted by South Dakota State University, Raven Industries and DuPont Pioneer. Researchers switched back and forth between two hybrids to match better match soil types. The researchers used a Monsem twin row vacuum planter outfitted with Raven Industries's multi-hybrid precision planting technology.

Raven Industries equipped a Monosem twin row planter with the capability to switch hybrids on the go.

The system allows the planter operator to switch from one set of the twin row boxes containing one hybrid to another set of boxes with another hybrid seamlessly, with only a slight shift noticed in a transition zone between varieties in the field.

Multi-hybrid planting provides opportunities for farmers operating on farms with great soil variability, says Peter Sexton, SDSU Southeast Research Farm manager.

"If you have a field with a lot of variability, you can match the varieties to the different soil types," says Peter Sexton, the SDSU Southeast Research farm manager who led the project. "You can plant hybrid lines with more horizontal root growth in wetter areas of the field, and lines that have more vertical root growth on the upland parts of the field."

Read more about multi hybrid planting in the January issue of Dakota Farmer (page 48). The magazine is available online.

Also, see Raven Industries' website, www.ravenprecision.com.