Items by Dennis Egli
Well-Filled Ears and High Corn Yields
By Dennis Egli
Published on Aug. 15, 2025
We’ve all seen advertisements for corn hybrids that show a row of corn with an ear on every plant that is filled to the tip. The implication is that well-filled ears are an indication of high yield.
Time and Crop Productivity
By Dennis Egli
Published on Jul. 14, 2025
Time is an important resource. We never seem to have enough, and it often passes too fast. But the truth is, we don’t often think about time when we think about crop productivity.
Photosynthesis – The Ultimate Yield Producer
By Dennis Egli
Published on Jun. 13, 2025
The keys to high yield include variety selection, planting date, population, fertilizer and control of weeds and pests. Photosynthesis doesn’t make the list, but there is no yield without photosynthesis. High yield requires high photosynthesis.
Timing is Key – Describing the Critical Stages of Yield Production
By Dennis Egli
Published on May. 19, 2025
The effect of management practices or stress on corn and soybean yields often depends upon when it happens. It’s not just how dry it is or how hot it is, but when it’s hot or dry. ‘When’ refers to what the crop is doing. As with most things in life – timing is all important.
Historical Corn and Soybean Yield Improvement in Kentucky
By Dennis Egli
Published on Mar. 24, 2025
It won’t be long before Kentucky farmers start planting the 2025 corn and soybean crops. At this time of the year, farmers are always optimistic, expecting record yields if the weather cooperates. This expectation is a result of the yield trends over the last nearly 100 years.
What Limits Yield – The Source or the Sink? Does it Matter?
By Dennis Egli
Published on Feb. 21, 2025
Crop Physiologists often analyze the yield production process in grain crops by dividing the process into two components – the source and the sink. The source is the photosynthetic machinery that supplies the raw materials and energy for plant growth. The sink is the seed that utilizes simple sugars from the source to grow.
Yield Gaps, Potential Yield and Crop Productivity
By Dennis Egli
Published on Jan. 21, 2025
Are there ‘yield gaps’ on your farm? Finding a yield gap suggests that your yields are less than they could be, so some combination of improved management practices will increase yield and reduce the yield gap. This seems like a simple way to evaluate productivity.
