Location effects on forage production and quality among selected pioneer corn hybrid

Pioneer corn hybrids X0811, X1814, XC951, 3215, 3299, and 3377 were grown at Manhattan, Kansas and four of the six (X0811, X1814, 3215, and 3377) along with X1811 at Hooper, Elwood, and Bear River locations in Utah. The hybrids grown in Utah were harvested between 25 and 50% milk line stages of kernel maturity while the Kansas grown hybrids were harvested at approximately 90% of kernel maturity. Location x corn hybrid interacted (P $<$ 0.05) for all agronomic characteristics and chemical compositional parameters except stover in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) content. Whole-plant dry matter (DM) content, % grain, and grain DM content were higher (P $<$ 0.05), while % stover and whole-plant neutral detergent fiber (NDF) were lower (P $<$ 0.05) in the Kansas grown corn. The high DM content of the grain compared to the other plant components along with % grain elevated the whole-plant DM content in the whole-plant corn across all locations. Grain proportion in the whole-plant DM reduced the fiber concentration compared to the stover across all locations. Hybrid X0811 had a higher (P $<$ 0.05) whole-plant IVDMD at Kansas and Hooper, while its stover IVDMD was higher (P $<$ 0.05) across allocations. Whole-plant and stover IVDMD were positively correlated (P $<$ 0.05) at Elwood, Hooper, and Kansas, which documents the importance of stover digestibility on whole-plant quality. While corn grown at Bear River had the lowest (P $<$ 0.05) stover ADF content among locations, hybrid X0811 had a lower (P $<$ 0.05) stover ADF content than hybrids X1814 and 3215 across allocations. Stover IVDMD was negatively correlated with stover ADF and NDF at all locations, whereas whole-plant ADF and NDF contents were not correlated with whole-plant IVDMD across all locations. This demonstrates the masking effect of the grain on the stover fiber quality within the whole-plant quality. Cob ADF contents were higher (P $<$ 0.05) at Kansas for hybrids X0811, X1814, and 3215 compared to Utah. The results of this study indicate that experimental hybrid X0811 has the potential to be labeled as a superior hybrid for forage production because it consistently produced high grain and stover yields across locations, contained high proportions of grain, and produced a high quality stover. In addition, the greater proportion of grain residing in the whole-plant DM in the more mature Kansas-grown corn created a forage with a potentially higher silage preservation efficiency and higher energy density for incorporation into ruminant animal diets.