Our hybrid description and rating charts detail the genetic families used in making a hybrid. The first letter(s) of the genetic family is the designator, for example, E=Eastern Genetic Family, HY=High Yield Genetic Family. A strong contribution of a genetic family to a hybrid is designated in uppercase letters, while a smaller contribution is designated by lowercase letters.
EASTERN GENETIC FAMILY (E) |
| STRENGTHS | WEAKNESSES |
- High yield potential at high population
- Fast silking for consistent pollination and ear size
- Girthy ear
- Disease resistance
- Staygreen
- Rind strength for stalk quality
- Loose husk at maturity
- Fast drydown
- Strong emergence
- Rapid grain fill
- Performance on clay
- Narrow profile, but thick roots to penetrate tight, sticky soils
- Gray leaf spot tolerance
| - Sensitivity to heat
- Sensitivity to drought
- Soft kernel texture
- Poor test weight
- Tight silk channel and silkballing
- Sensitivity to corn borer; requires Bt
- Lack of ear length
- Eyespot
- Late flowering
- Tall plant height Higher ear placement
- Performance on sand
- Narrow profile, but thick roots prone to root lodging
|
EASTERN 2 GENETIC FAMILY (E2) |
| STRENGTHS | WEAKNESSES |
- Flex ear
- Excellent grain quality
- Excellent test weight
- Excellent stalk and roots Excellent GLS tolerance
| - Tall plant height
- High ear placement
- Slow drydown
- Late flowering
- Slow emergence
- Below-average tolerance to northern corn leaf blight (NCLB)
- Sensitivity to drought
|
SOUTHERN GENETIC FAMILY (S) |
| STRENGTHS | WEAKNESSES |
- High yield potential
- Strong heat tolerance
- Long ear length
- Tolerance to low population
- High test weight
- Strong performance on sand
- Strong response to high nitrogen
| - Poor cold tolerance
- Sensitivity to corn borer; requires Bt
- Poor disease tolerance
- Poor stalk quality
- Poor emergence
- Late flowering
- Slow silking
- Skinny shank for poor ear retention
- Sensitivity to gray leaf spot
- Questionable drought tolerance
- Sensitivity to low nitrogen
- Sensitivity to wet soils
- Dependent on female used in hybrid; can have root lodging issues
|
NORTHERN GENETIC FAMILY (N) |
| STRENGTHS | WEAKNESSES |
- Early flowering
- Strong cool tolerance
- Rapid grain fill
- Strong rind strength
- Strong staygreen
- Excellent eyespot tolerance
- Strong germination
- Strong emergence
- Strong silking under stress
- Loose husk for fast drydown
- Strong performance on sand and clay
- Good tolerance to low fertility
| - Low test weight
- Weak early-season growth
- Sensitivity to high heat
- Sensitivity to herbicide injury
- Poor roots
- Sensitivity to greensnap
- Poor yield at low population
- High sensitivity to gray leaf spot
|
WESTERN GENETIC FAMILY (W) |
| STRENGTHS | WEAKNESSES |
- High yield potential
- Girthy ear
- Early flowering
- Strong heat tolerance
- Excellent drought tolerance on silt loams
- Strong corn borer tolerance
- Thick shank for ear retention
- Strong eyespot tolerance
- Gray leaf spot tolerance
- Strong response to potash
- Strong silking
| - Poor rind strength
- Poor grain fill during cool weather
- Poor roots
- Tight husk and slow drydown
- Short plant height
- Weed problems due to short plant height
- Sensitivity to silkballing
- Sensitivity to wet soils
- Poor performance on sand
- Sensitivity to low potash
|
TROPICAL GENETIC FAMILY (T) |
| STRENGTHS | WEAKNESSES |
- Strong heat tolerance
- Good test weight, grain quality
- Rust and leaf disease tolerance
- Excellent plant health
- High ear placement
- Strong staygreen
| - Poor cool tolerance
- Poor roots
- Tillering
- Late flowering
- Low population tolerance
- Poor tolerance to high plant density
- Lower in yield
|
HIGH YIELD GENETIC FAMILY (HY) |
| STRENGTHS | WEAKNESSES |
- High yield potential
- Large girthy ear
- Upright leaf
- Strong rind strength
- Spreading, fibrous root system, exceptional drought tolerance
- Greensnap tolerance
| - Poor cold tolerance
- Poor seedling vigor
- Slow silking
- Sensitivity to gray leaf spot
- Late flowering
- Poor disease resistance and root lodging resistance
- Low test weight
|
LATE HEALTH GENETIC FAMILY (LH) |
| STRENGTHS | WEAKNESSES |
- Adds ear length
- Strong late-season disease resistance if rust is not present
- Excellent staygreen
- Wide, dark-green leaves
- Rapid early-season growth
- Good test weight
| - Sensitive to corn borer; requires Bt
- Loses ear girth for lower yield
- Poor rind strength
- Highly sensitive to rust
- Greensnap sensitivity
- Sensitive to smut
- Small root system prone to drought tolerance and root lodging
|
EARLY HEALTH GENETIC FAMILY (EH) |
| STRENGTHS | WEAKNESSES |
- Early flowering
- Cool tolerance
- Strong seedling vigor
- High test weight
- Strong disease resistance Excellent staygreen
- Strong rust tolerance
- Tolerance to gray leaf spot
- Adds ear length
| - Sensitivity to silkballing
- Low yield
- Small root system prone to drought tolerance and root lodging
- Tillering
- Sensitivity to phenoxy herbicides
- Sensitivity to high heat
- Sensitivity to drought
|
FLINT GENETIC FAMILY (F) |
| STRENGTHS | WEAKNESSES |
- Strong cool tolerance
- High grain quality
- High test weight
| - Low yield
- Poor roots
- Slow drydown
- Poor stalks
|