The recommended list of maize varieties for the 2018 season has been published by the Department of Agriculture. Seven varieties have been recommended and two have been provisionally recommended.

Dry matter yield is the most important characteristic to consider when choosing a maize variety. The relative yields reported below are based on such a yield.

Ambition tops the list for dry matter content / earliness of maturity, starch content and ME (metabolisable energy) values. P7095 tops the list for relative yield at 103.

Early varieties

Ambition is an early maturing variety with a dry matter content rating of 123 – the highest on the recommended list. Combined with its high starch content, Ambition is a strong variety. However, it has the lowest relative yield on the list (92).

Award and SY Feeditop are early-medium maturing varieties. SY Feeditop has the second highest dry matter rating on the list at 105; a relative yield of 100; and a starch content of 109 – the second highest on the list.

Medium maturing varieties

LG30211 has remained on the list since its addition in 2016, but it’s joined this year by Spyci CS – which is provisionally recommended. Spyci has a relative yield of 102, a dry matter rating of 101 and a starch content of 105.

Medium-late varieties

Provisionally recommended, P8201 has the highest relative yield on the recommended list at 112 and a starch content of 104. P8200 is second to this variety with a relative yield of 111. However, its starch content is the lowest on the list at 92.

The full list is available from the department’s website.