Maize

The benefits of improved animal performance through feeding maize silage in rations has led to a huge increase in the amount of dairy and beef units growing the crop. This has been made possible by the breeding of maize varieties suitable for the UK’s relatively marginal growing conditions.

In 1990, just 33,000ha of maize was grown in the UK. However, following the introduction of earlier maturing varieties like LG2080 and Melody, the area grown had more than tripled to 105,000ha by 2000. The arrival of even earlier maturing varieties like Crescendo, Destiny and Artist have contributed to the fact that today there are over 160,000ha’s of maize grown in the UK.

As the largest maize breeder in Europe, Limagrain has been leading the market by breeding early maturing and high yielding varieties specifically for the UK climate. Consequently the LG portfolio is the best available for maize growers in the UK.

Variety Choice
With all crops the correct choice of variety is important – but with maize it is absolutely vital, especially if you plan to grow it in an area which is considered to be marginal.

For UK maize growers, the primary consideration when choosing which maize variety to grow is the site location and growing conditions. This in turn will determine the area of maize that can be grown and ultimately quality selection decisions and the level of maize silage fed in the ration. For maize to deliver its full energy potential, crops need to be harvested only once they have reached maturity, this is at 32-35% dry matter.

The new LG maturity classification system can be used to select varieties with the right earliness for your location. (See graph in PDF format at the top of the page).
 

For more variety selection details click on the PDF named - Maize Variety Selection Guide 2012 - at the top of the page.