Here are the top new corn and
soybean varieties geared to American Agriculturist readers.
Chris Torres, Editor, American
Agriculturist
It’s that time of year again! Time to start shopping for corn and soybean
varieties for next year.
You deserve options when it comes to shopping for seed, and our seed
shopping list for 2025 is bigger and better than ever. Remember, some
varieties might work better on your farm than others, so it’s important to
do the research before you pick something.
American Agriculturist asked top seed companies for their “top” corn and
soybean varieties for 2025. These are varieties geared to Michigan,
mid-Atlantic, Northeast and Ohio growers.
Below is the first list of companies that have responded to our request
for top varieties. We’ll be updating the list as more companies reveal
their top choices.
For readability, RIB stands for refuge in bag, and RM stands for relative
maturity.
5055AA. Place at low to medium
populations in the 95-day and earlier RM zone. It grows a medium plant
with strong ear flex, average plant health and test weight. It can
benefit from a fungicide application.
5450. This 95-day RM has
performed well across New York and Pennsylvania. It grows a girthy,
flex-style ear with average test weights. It is a strong performer in
average soils with good stay-green and plant intactness.
5659V. Place at medium
populations in the 90- to 105-day RM zone. It is a medium-tall plant for
corn-on-corn silage. It features an average disease package with strong
stalks and roots, and it has strong silage potential with tonnage and
high starch digestibility.
6155V. This medium-tall hybrid
grows full flex ears. It produces high test-weight grain with good
adaptability to moderate- and high-yielding areas. It is also a good
dual-purpose option with Viptera aboveground protection. Place in
moderate- to high-performing soils.
6554PCE. This 100- to 110-day
variety for the Northeast grows a showy, full-flex ear. It is a strong
dual-purpose variety that provides tonnage and excellent quality for
milk production.
FS
4547T RIB. This
Trecepta-traited 95-day RM is a fast grower and yields a nice golden
crop in the fall. It produces good yield for its maturity group and
premium test weight. It is widely adapted across many areas and can
handle stress, but it does not have protection against corn rootworm.
4645V RIB. This 96-day RM VT
Double Pro variety grows impressive stalks and roots with late-season
intactness and stay-green. Girthy ears fill to the tip flex to adapt to
lower populations, and it has fast drydown. While it excels in
high-yielding fields, it can hold its own under stress.
5045P RIB. This 100-day
SmartStax Pro variety features broad-spectrum control for above- and
belowground pests, including three modes of action against corn
rootworm. Its husks flare open before harvest to promote rapid drydown.
Its strong agronomic package fits most soil types.
5347T RIB. This 103-day
Trecepta variety features improved control of corn earworm and western
bean cutworm. It grows healthy stalks and has good ratings against
anthracnose stalk rot. It performs best on medium to better soils with
good fertility.
5349PCRA. A new 103-day
variety with the PowerCore Enlist trait, it provides solid defense
against northern leaf blight, gray leaf spot and tar spot. It is widely
adapted with long girthy ears, loose husk and good tip fill. Its
versatility across a wide range of planting populations makes it stand
out.
Seed consultants
SC964CE and SC964V. A new
yield leader in the 96-RM group, it has a moderate plant stature, good
drought tolerance, good stalk and root strength, and has strong northern
corn leaf blight tolerance. Optimal planting rates are between 28,000
and 34,000 seeds an acre depending on soil type and productivity.
SC973Q. This 97-day variety
has dependable yield potential, good test weight, good drought tolerance
and good husk coverage. Optimal planting rates are between 29,000 and
35,000 an acre, depending on soil type and productivity.
SC1055PCE and SC1055V. With a 105-day RM, these two varieties feature high
yield potential, good late-season intactness, strong tolerance to tar spot
and broad adaptability that allows movement from north to south. Optimal
planting rates are between 26,000 and 32,000 an acre, depending on soil
type and productivity.
SC1105PCE. This 110-day RM
variety grows a medium-tall plant with lower ear placement. It has high
tolerance to gray leaf spot, good tolerance to northern corn leaf
blight, and it has broad adaptability. Optimal planting rates are
between 28,000 and 34,000 an acre depending on soil type and
productivity.
SC1135PCE. This new 113-day RM
hybrid brings a strong agronomic package and broad adaptability, with
average plant and ear height in this RM group. It has strong drought
tolerance, average gray leaf spot tolerance, and has improved tolerance
to northern corn leaf blight as compared to past varieties. Optimal
planting rates are between 28,000 and 34,000 an acre depending on soil
type and productivity.
Seedway
8588PE. This 85-day RM with
PowerCore Enlist option has strong agronomics and performs consistently
across environments for grain or silage. It features a good-sized plant
with flex ear at a more moderate height, and ears that hang out between
the rows that flare out for quicker drydown. Performs best in northern
areas in soils with moderate yield potential.
8989PE. This 89-day RM with
PowerCore Enlist is tall and robust. The semi-flex ear works across a
wide range of plant populations with husks that open to speed up
drydown. It is good against northern corn leaf blight and performs best
in high-yielding acres farther north.
9655PE. This 96-day RM with
PowerCore Enlist grows a tall, leafy plant with a large, flex ear. It
has good resistance to northern corn leaf blight and can be planted
farther south to compete with later-maturity hybrids.
9822VT. Featuring the
VTDoublePro trait, this 98-day variety ranked No. 1 in maturity out of
more than 50 entries in Seedway’s 2023 research trials. It is
recommended for both grain and silage with good anthracnose stalk rot
ratings to protect standability.
9990V4. This 99-day variety
with the VT4Pro trait combines the proven aboveground insect protection
of Trecepta with belowground insect protection using RNAi technology. It
has superior anthracnose stalk rot ratings and good ratings against tar
spot. Recommended for acres with low to moderate corn rootworm pressure,
and at higher risk for western bean cutworm or corn earworm damage.
Soybeans
Chemgro
C1458E. This 1.4-RM variety
handles heavy soils with strong branching. It features a strong disease
line with excellent stress tolerance and is a great early option for the
clay soils of New York.
C2858ES. A high-yielding line
with a high-yielding ceiling, this 2.8 RM with STS tolerance is strong
in high-yielding acres.
C3158E. This 3.1-RM variety
generates strong yields in many environments, and produces a sharp,
light tawny plant with a compact look.
C3558E. This 3.5-RM produces
compact, medium plants with strong standability. It’s a good line for
high-yielding environments with good lateral branching.
FS
HS27F40. This 2.7-RM XtendFlex
variety is broadly adapted with great performance on variable soils. It
grows a medium-tall bushy plant with good standability. Manage placement
in high while mold pressure areas.
HS36F40. This 3.6-RM XtendFlex
variety has a strong defensive disease package. It emerges quickly in
spring, has good standability and good late-season health.
Seed Consultants
SC7215E. This Enlist early
Group II variety has shown improvement against brown stem rot and sudden
death syndrome. It has the 1C gene that protects against certain races
of Phytophthora sojae and has good phytophthora root rot tolerance.
SC7255E. This mid Group II is
stacked with 1K and 3A phytophthora root rot genes. It also has good
frogeye leaf spot tolerance.
SC7285E. A late Group II, this
Enlist variety has resistance to Peking soybean cyst nematode; is
stacked with 1K and 3A Phytophthora root rot genes; and does better
against soybean white mold and sudden death syndrome.
SC7315E. An early Group III,
it has tested strong in the East with good emergence. It has improved
performance against brown stem rot, sudden death syndrome and soybean
white mold. It also has the 1K gene and good phytophthora root rot
tolerance.
SC7355E. This mid Group III
has stacked 1K and 3A genes to ward off phytophthora root rot. It also
improves in its performance against soybean white mold, has good
emergence and harvest standability.
Seedway
SX 3514E3. This mid Group III
Enlist variety has strong Peking defense for soybean cyst nematode,
excellent stress tolerance and can tolerate phytophthora. It is an
offensive plant that emerges quickly and brings the yields.
SX 3714E3. Another Enlist
variety, a late Group III, it brings a complete line of defense against
frogeye, phytophthora, sudden death syndrome and soybean cyst nematode.
SX 3914E3. This late Group III
STS Enlist soybean can be planted across broad acres. It has good
standability and can handle a lot of stress, with tolerance against many
diseases.
SX 4614E3. This mid Group IV
STS Enlist variety has a defensive package that can stand up to frogeye,
stem canker and soybean cyst nematode.
SX 1994XTF. This late Group I
XtendFlex variety is a solid performer with excellent standability and
disease tolerance. It can fend off sudden death syndrome, phytophthora,
white mold and brown stem rot.
