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American Agriculturist continues its annual corn and soybean shopping list with new varieties.

October 25, 2019

6 Min Read
Close up of young soybean plants in a field with sun rising
SHOP FOR SOYBEANS: Our second list of seed varieties for 2020 includes some soybean varieties from Croplan and LG Seeds. UrosPoteko/Getty Images

Even though most of the 2019 crop is still in the ground, it’s not too early to start thinking about 2020 and getting your seed shopping list finalized.

American Agriculturist asked top seed companies for their “top 5” corn and soybean varieties for 2020. These are varieties geared to Northeast and Mid-Atlantic farmers.

Below is a list of companies that have responded to our second request for top varieties. We’ll update it further as more companies reveal their top choices.

If you have any questions on a particular variety, contact your local seed dealer or email American Agriculturist at [email protected].

Augusta 

1. A2448-3220GTEZ (98 RDM). A high-yielding early line of corn from that was bred with Eastern agronomics at heart. It has a flex ear type, so the optimum planting population is between 24,000 and 36,000. It will have very good grain quality on a medium tall stalk.

Due to its size as well as its excellent feed value, it is recommended as an early dual-purpose hybrid. 

2. A4858-3010GT (108 RDM). A high-yielding hybrid with excellent test weight recommended for well-managed ground.

Due to its semi-flex ear, optimum planting should be in the 26,000 to 38,000 range. It will have good stay-green and has very good tolerance to gray leaf spot.

3. A1059-3330GTEZ (109 RDM). A variety with outstanding roots and stalk strength. It will hold its greenlife late into the season, and the plant tends to stay intact. 

Widely adaptable, A1059 brings top-of-the-line gray leaf spot and Northern corn leaf blight tolerance. Look for this plant to be available with Viptera 3330, one of the newest trait stacks in the Agrisure portfolio that features three modes of action against above-ground insects.

4. A5264-3000GT (114 RDM). A5264 takes a big, robust plant and brings the ear placement down to a medium level.

It has very good stalks and excellent stay-green. Grain quality and test weight are well-above average with excellent yield potential.

5. A4565-3220GTEZ and A4565 DC5222EZ (115 RDM). Girth, girth and more girth.

A4565 is an excellent choice for high populations — 28,000 to 38,000 depending on soil type.

This hybrid is available as Duracade 5222, which provides a unique mode of action to control above- and belowground insects and preserve the yield potential of elite corn hybrids.

Channel

1. 192-98STXRIB. A variety that has excellent tonnage potential with outstanding digestibility.

It is broadly adapted from west to east in the 90-95 RM zones with strong agronomic and disease package.

2. 197-90STXRIB. This variety has dependable yield potential and is broadly adapted from west to east in the 95-100 RM zones.

Agronomically sound with solid foliar disease package and great ear flex, allowing for planting at lower end of populations for the environment.

3. 203-01STXRIB. This variety has impressive yield potential with a good disease package.

It is broadly adapted from west to east in the 100-105 RM zones with excellent stay-green and late- season intactness. This is a good fit for most yield environments with attractive agronomics to provide flexibility in placement.

4. 206-11STXRIB. This variety has superb yield performance potential with solid agronomic package.

It is widely adapted from west to east in the 100-105 RM zones. It is designed for medium to medium-high planting populations.

5. 207-27STXRIB. This variety has shown solid performance with top-end yield potential and great disease package. It fits best in the 105-110 RM zones.

Its medium-plant stature and lower ear placement offers good stay-green potential, making it a good silage option. Medium to medium-high populations are recommended.

Croplan

1. CP4791-AS3111. A 107-day dual-purpose hybrid that has very flexible plant populations. It emerges as a medium-tall plant with outstanding late-season intactness. It is best on rotated ground.

2. CP5073-SS/RIB. A 110-day variety, you should plant this hybrid first in the spring. It has great early vigor and has high response to split nitrogen applications.

If offers good payback for foliar fungicide.

3.CP5340-VT2P. A 113-day medium-short variety with strong stalks, flex ear for medium to low populations and handles heat stress well.

4. CP5370 SS/RIB. A 113-day dual-purpose variety with great test weight.

It has excellent stalks, roots and dry down, as well as high response to split-applied nitrogen applications.

5. CP5678 SS/RIB. A 116-day variety that has a medium plant height with wide leaves. It features a girthy flex ear and can be planted at medium populations.

King’s AgriSeeds

1. MC 4050. This is a popular 90-day variety that is known for superb silage quality while offering high yield potential for a short day-length hybrid. It fits well into aggressively managed operations and has an upright leaf structure.  It also performs well as an early hybrid in longer season areas.

2. MC 5250. A top-selling 102-day silage that is favored among silage producers. This variety is a white cob hybrid that has wide, showy leaves. Its outstanding health and agronomic package leave it green to the end of the season. It is known for consistent yields and adaptation to various soils.

3. KF 54C10. A 104-day variety that is broadly adapted and handles a wide range of soils, populations and environments on the East Coast. It flexes in both ear and stalk, and has outstanding agronomics to stand behind it for solid silage yields.

4. MC 5660. A showy plant that has very good stress, heat and drought tolerance, this 106-day silage has great flex and excellent stalk strength. It has great emergence, tolerates no-till and corn after corn, and is favorable to early planting. 

5. KF58C80. A quick canopy closer with strong stalks and roots with flexible ears, this variety offers stress tolerance and a very good overall plant health package. It is a 108-day variety that has excellent emergence and seedling vigor.

Soybeans — Croplan

1. CP3950X-RR2Xtend. A Winpak of two varieties (CP3919XS and CP3977X) to address field variability, this is built for tough acres. It has medium growth and features a bush-type plant.

2. CP4117XS-RR2Xtend. There is top-end yield potential with this variety.

It likes all soil types, has strong standability and handles stress well. It also has good response to fungicides.

3. CP4150XS-RR2Xtend. A Winpak of two varieties (CP4117XS and CP4219XS) to address field variability. It has strong performance across soil types.

It is a medium to tall plant with strong standability.

LG Seeds

1. LGS2007RX (2.0 RM). A complete package of outstanding yield performance as well as excellent disease protection and agronomics. Excellent emergence and standability with an attractive look at harvest from medium-tall, thin-line plants with upright branches. Excellent sclerotinia white mold and sudden death syndrome tolerance. 

2. C2888RX (2.8 RM). This variety dominates yields across all geographies.

It has a tall and branchy structure that speaks performance. It handles all types of soil conditions and is well-adapted to all row spacings.

It has excellent disease protection against SDS as well as exceptional stress and drought tolerance.

3. C3550RX (3.5 RM). A variety with a phenomenal yield history, it can be used across all soybean-growing regions from east to west. It has medium height with a wide, branchy canopy.

Good all-around disease characteristics ensure reliable performance in all kinds of tough conditions. Excellent adaptability to no-till and minimum tillage as well as all row spacings. 

4. LGS3777RX (3.7 RM). Impressive yields along with a superior agronomy package in a medium-statured plant and has an outstanding disease profile. This product is also sulfonylurea-tolerant, giving producers more herbicide options.

With strong performance on the East Coast, this plant has good branching and a light tawny tan. It is broadly adapted across soil types and geographies.

5. C4845RX (4.8 RM). LG Seed’s most popular product in this maturity. It has high yield potential and is an excluder for salts. It has excellent performance in the Delta, mid-south and the East Coast.

It features resistance to stem canker and SCN, and excellent tolerance to phytophthora root rot, SDS, Cercospora, and frogeye leaf spot.

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