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Quality of Seed Corn
Abbe Hills OP is sold in one bushel bags. It is cleaned and graded, and then germination tested at the Seed Lab at Iowa State University. The 2010 crop produced some excellent quality seed even though the growing season was hot and humid and plant disease was widespread and serious.
In the 2011 seed, the large seeds are quite dense while smaller seeds from the tips and butts of the ears are much lighter. This difference in weight accounts for the big differences in number of kernels per bushel. Remember that not every seed will germinate, so you will need to overplant somewhat to get the final plant density that you want.
The seed sizes, minimum kernel counts, and germination percents for 2011 seed are:
Seed size Kernels per bushel % Germination
Large flat 85,000 96
Medium/small flat 110,000 93
Large round 75,000 93