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Show now Grain Corn For Utah By Justin Scharff Perpetual motion and plant breeding seem inseparable. Once a project get started it appears to go on indefinitely. The search for variety improvement im-provement is never-ending. In time, each new introduction becomes just a stepping stone o its successor. Nor is success ever guaranteed. guaran-teed. New experimental are ;ntroduced commercially only vhen, and if, they show statistical statisti-cal superiority over established varieties. You get some idea of what plant breeding is all about by ! racing how Jim Linder, plant breeder for Funk Seeds International, Inter-national, Inc., Bloomington, Illinois, Il-linois, developed a new grain corn variety for Utah. Patience, skill and perserver-ance perserver-ance are necessary traits for a plant breeder, "Up to a dozen years may be required", says Linder, "to develop a new grain corn variety." Linder's breeding program was shaped like pyramid. The broad base marking the beginning begin-ning of the project or triangle included several thousand genetic gen-etic crosses. During the early generation screening and testing test-ing period the base was gradually narrowed until just a few combinations reached the top of the pyramid. Linder's major objective was to "develop a hybrid that would combine early maturity with high yield plus wide adaptation to Utah's growing conditions." The parents selected for G-4141, G-4141, the name of the new introduction, intro-duction, represented a wide cross between early and late maturity germ plasms. "A big difference in parent lines", Linder explained, "increases the potential for hybrid vigor or what is ofter referred to as maximum heterosis." Linder and his staff recognized recog-nized that "the high cost of propane was encouraging farmers to switch to early maturing varieties in order to reduce their drying costs. If an early, high yielding variety could be developed", they reasoned, rea-soned, "it might attract growers who previously had planted other crops and thus Living in Bridgeport Isn't for Everyone Bridgeport, Conn., is the most heavily taxed metropolitan metropoli-tan area in the U.S. in total federal taxes paid per capita, according to Tax Foundation, Inc. The average amount paid by each man, woman and child in the area is $1,841. My Neighbors "Now promise me you won't bring up gas mileage." increase total grain corn acreage." Big yield potential would be inherited from the parent possessing pos-sessing the late maturing germ plasm. "Generally speaking", Linder explained, "the later the variety the greater the yield potential." Another trait desired for the new hybrid was efficient combining. com-bining. This means the cob Soil Scientist Cautions On 'Miracle Medicines' Fertilizer shortages are helping help-ing to bring on the market more new soil additive materials as farmers look for substitutes. Most of these "soil medicines" have very little economic benefit bene-fit to farmers, notes Dr. Paul D. Christensen, Utah State University Univer-sity Extension soil specialist. He cautions farmers and gardners to realize that if the ingredients of a product are not needed by the crop or the soil, or if the materials have little or no value, they are too expensive for you to use at any price. Usually, these products, promoted with high-sounding phrases, include organic concoctions, con-coctions, fermentation formulations, formula-tions, and miscellaneous mineral miner-al materials dug from the earth. Frequently, they come and then pass from the picture with little benefit except to the distributors. distribu-tors. Dr. Christensen pointed out that during the past 25 years many different such "miracle soil materials" have appeared on the market. These products include low grade coal-type minerals, ground rock, microbial micro-bial fermentation liquids, manure man-ure and clay mixtures, composts, com-posts, ground limestone, and sulfur or gypsum-type materials. mater-ials. New names appear each year, but the basic types essentially essen-tially remain the same. No matter what the products are, they are supposed to "work miracles" mir-acles" in the soil. He said essentially the same claims for soil and crop benefits are included in the "sales pitch" ranraran wnrann mfesn With easy-to-install accessories, the tough and powerful Snapper tiller can also be used as a garden tractor. It can plow, furrow and cultivate your soil. In a few seconds, the chain-driven tiller becomes a garden tractor that can handle even the toughest garden jobs with ease. Snapper Tillers are well balanced and easy to handle. They're heavy duty, all-steel construction with 3 and 5 horsepower engines, and have fingertip controls located conveniently on the handles. See us for a free demonstration. You buy a Snapper Tiller for quality, and you get much more. 4 murtug ewbw mtta mm mw (p'j I FUQUA ! McDonough Power Equipment, Inc., McDonough, Georgia 1 "'- I A Fuqua Industry Duff's Mowers would be strong enought to remain intact as it passed through the combine. "If the cobs break up", Linder pointed out, "some corn may be lost." Still another objective for G-4141 G-4141 was "a small cob with deep kernels." According to Roger Pirie, Agricultural Division Manager for Germain's, Inc., a century old western seed firm and a for completely different types of "soil Medicines." Each promoter usually claims that his product will do most or all of these: improve soil structure, aeration, and soil-water relationships; rela-tionships; increase root growth and penetration; reduce the need for chemical fertilizers; Humphries n r (f rrr i . y 383 South 500 East American Fork ONLY WITH A " 1 . & Cycles 260 East Main Am. Fork 756-3613 FARM SUPPLEMENT Funk's Associate, "the importance impor-tance of breeding earliness into a grain corn for Utah cannot be over-emphasized. "Late maturing varieties", Pirie stated, "are subject to bad weather, excess moisture in the corn and the possibility of ducks stripping the field by as much as 2,000 pounds per acre. And late maturing varieties varie-ties often delay land preparation prepara-tion for the following crop." The final proving ground for new experimentals is the test plot. There are two separate types: 1. small packet plots which are seeded by hand due to scarcity of seed and 2. research evaluation plots, known as REPs which are machine planted and machine harvested in co-operation with local farmers. reduce the assumed "breakdown "break-down in soils" resulting from the application of chemical fertilizers; fer-tilizers; add trace elements in "natural form"; reduce or eliminate eli-minate insect infestation in crops; and correct diseases in crops. To avoid throwing money .1 l! ... a i VEGETABLE PLANTS Bedding Plants Hanging House Plants "fj o Plant & Garden Supply -Mi:, 5 W 30253 THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 1976 away on products of little value, Dr. Christensen urges that you use caution when you see these warning signals: "cure-all" claims are made stating that the product is good for practically practi-cally all soils and crops, and possibly even as a livestock feed additive; testimonials are used in place of non-existent factual research data when selling the product; the product is backed by experts whose expertise is not in soils, crops, or fertilizers; and sellers say that the product is so new state and federal research agencies haven't had time to test it or that they are biased and unwilling to test it fairly. Dr. Christensen said, "We don't discourage farmers from trying out new things. But we do caution them to test in a way that is not too costly and that will give reliable results. He suggested: apply a new soil product of questionable value on well marked strips in a field; then make yield comparisons between treated and untreated portions on the same field, with the same crop and variety, under und-er the same management. J) . J I Jk) |