ALTHOUGH I believe that overall, 2004 was a pretty good year for maize, I still have one or two niggles that suggest that it may have been a ''funny old year'' as well.

In the main, drilling was completed during the three week window of the last week of April and the first two weeks of May and the crop really romped away with hardly a check - six foot-tall crops by mid-July being the 'norm'.

August, however, saw higher than average rainfall, but we still had sufficient heat units to begin harvesting by the third week of September, with virtually everything being off by mid-October and a following crop planted behind.

I have been reporting on the progress of four sites with results printed here, but the 'funny old bit' revolves around some sites and varieties giving high dry matters and comparatively low starch levels but also the reverse being seen with low dry matters and high starch levels.

The high August rainfall contributed, on some sites, to a high moisture content in the stover, but the heat units still allowed the cob to mature to its full potential, thus giving DM's of 30% or below, but starch levels of 35%+. We also experienced fusarium on some sites with some varieties being more susceptible than others. In these cases, we saw varieties with very high DM's - say in excess of 40%, but starch levels were much lower i.e. 35% or below - the ME on fusarium susceptible varieties being lower.

Ideally, you should be looking to harvest @ 30 - 33% whole plant DM, with starch levels being similar. With total heat units being higher than average last year, the gap between early and later maturing material was much less than normal, resulting in maturity classes six and seven achieving 30% DM on sites where we normally expect them to suffer.

Results

In addition to the normal figures i.e. DM%, DM yield, starch %, starch yield and ME, I have also calculated the theoretical milk yield per acre by using the formula of: DM yield/acre x ME (= Megajoules), divided by 5.3 x 0.17p per litre.

MVF site at Fowey (Marginal). Drilled April 26. - Harvested October 7.

With a number of varieties discarded during the season as being unsuitable for marginal sites, a total of 12 varieties were harvested and tested.

The dry matters ranged from 43.7% - 29.2%, with Kingdom being the highest and also recording a starch level of 43.2%.

Dry Matter yields ranged from 8040 kgs/acre - 5274 kgs/acre with Bull being the highest yielding.

The range of starch % was 45.7% (Fauna) - 28.9%, with starch yields ranging from 3041 kgs/acre (Kingdom) - 1524 kgs/acre. ME ranged from 10.6 (Nimrod) - 10.0.

The theoretical milk yield per acre showed a differential of £973 between top and bottom, with Bull being top at £2682 per acre.

Advanta Site, N. Devon. (Marginal). Drilled April 27. Harvested October 1.

Eight varieties were drilled with all 8 being taken onto harvesting and testing. The only variety to achieve dry matters in excess of 30% was Crescendo @ 30.15% (Starch 35.9%), followed very closely by Sapphire @ 29.6% (Starch 35.1%), the latest variety recording 25.5%. Dry Matter yields ranged from 6067 kgs/acre (Destiny) down to 5200 kgs/acre. Starch % ranged from 38.7% (Crown) - 25.6% with starch yields being 2101 kgs/acre (Crescendo) down to 1429 kgs per acre. The ME range was 10.6 (Sapphire) - 9.1.

Theoretical milk yields showed a differential of £384 per acre between top and bottom, with Destiny recording the highest at £1985 per acre.

MVF Site, Bridgwater. (Favourable). Drilled May 21. Harvested September 29.

Although a superb site for growing maize, drilling was delayed because of a late silage cut and because it was on the Somerset levels, harvesting had to be early in order to permit a following crop. This was a prime example of August rainfall influencing whole plant DM's, where not one variety achieved 30%, but cob ripeness indicated that the crop was ready.

Aurelia had the highest DM @ 29.4% (Starch 34.6%), with the lowest DM @ 21.5%. Dry Matter yields ranged from 9408 kgs/acre (Aurelia highest) down to 6136 kgs/acre. Earlystar had the highest starch % @ 39.8%, with the lowest being 22.5%, with the highest starch yields going jointly to Aurelia and Earlystar @ 3300 kgs/acre down to the lowest @ 1381 kgs/acre. We saw a big difference on ME's with Fergus having the highest figure of 11.2 - the lowest being 10.0.

We also saw a huge differential on theoretical milk yield with £1200/acre separating the top from the bottom - Aurelia achieving the highest figure of £3289/acre.

Pearce Seeds Site, Rosedown. (Intermediate). Drilled May 10. Harvested October 16.

A total of 21 varieties were drilled and taken to harvest.

Camelot had the highest DM with 43.2% (Starch 33.3%) with the lowest being 29.0%. Dry Matter yields ranged from 6920 kgs/acre (Aurelia) down to 5200 kgs/acre, with the range in starch % being 42.7% (Andante) down to the lowest @ 23.5%. Andante recorded the highest starch yield with 2793 kgs/acre, with the lowest coming in at 1243 kgs/acre. ME's ranged from 10.6 (Beauty) down to 9.7.

Theoretical milk yield showed a differential of £612 per acre between top and bottom, with Beauty recording the top figure of £2275 per acre.

Conclusions

By accepting that 2004 was a good but somewhat 'funny old' year, this is a difficult one to call. No clear patterns emerged, when you could come out and beat the drum about a particular variety or varieties. When something comes top in a year such as last year, you cannot really assume that it will come top in a difficult year such as 2002. However, if something under-performed last year, then I think it is safe to assume that it will struggle in a poor year.

Overall, the key attributes for your choice of maize are:

a) Earliness is absolutely essential on marginal sites in order to achieve optimum dry matter and starch levels and is becoming increasingly important on more favourable sites where maize is grown a long way from the farm and roads have to be kept clean. Also, good farming practice suggests that a crop should immediately be planted behind maize in order to stabilise the soil, prevent run-off and mop up surplus nitrogen. b) High starch varieties with appropriate levels of by-pass starch. c) Good early vigour. We're not going to get springs like last year every time! d) Stay green and disease resistant. e) Good standing power. f) NIAB First Choice and probably, more importantly for marginal sites, something that comes toward the top of the Kingshay list.