The 2025 Ontario corn hybrid DON screening trial report is now available under the corn section of GoCrops.ca (or also available HERE).
Ontario corn hybrid DON screening trials were initiated by the Ontario Corn Committee in 2019 following high DON levels in the 2018 corn crop. Hybrid susceptibility is one of the greatest factors influencing Gibberella Ear Rot (Fig. 1) and DON accumulation in corn and is the greatest factor that can be controlled by agronomic practices (weather being the only greater factor, Hooker and Schaafsma, 2005). Ontario growers can reduce DON risks through hybrid selection and hybrid management and have asked for DON hybrid testing for many years.
Starting in 2019, the Ontario Corn Committee (OCC) refined protocols for testing hybrid sensitivity to DON accumulation with confidence based on an assessed risk. The inaugural report was released following the 2023 testing year. This annual report provides a risk assessment of hybrids entered in the DON trials, including multi‐year assessments where the same hybrid was entered across years.
Hybrids were entered voluntarily by seed companies and all hybrids are compared against a “high-check” hybrid known to be highly sensitive to Gibberella Ear Rot and DON accumulation. Starting in the 2025 testing year, hybrids are also compared against a “low-check” hybrid known to be highly tolerant to Gibberella Ear Rot and DON accumulation.
Hybrid results are displayed as an index value relative to the high check hybrid (Table 1) and also grouped into 3 categories:
i) not significantly different than the low-check hybrid (“L”)
ii) significantly higher than the low-check hybrid but significantly lower than the high-check hybrid (“M”)
iii) not significantly different than the high-check hybrid (“H”)
This data serves as a relative risk assessment of hybrids that can be used with other information sources (e.g., seed company information, field trial results, etc.) to improve hybrid selection or management. See the report for full details.
A sincere thank-you to Dr. Dave Hooker and Dr. Gursahib Singh, University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus and Albert Tenuta, OMAFA for leading this project and for the support from corn hybrid seed companies for voluntarily participating in this trial. Thanks to those who have provided financial support to allow these trials to be conducted (OMAFA, Canadian Agricultural Partnership and Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, Grain Farmers of Ontario, Greenfield Ethanol, Ingredion, Ontario Pork, Suncor, Alco Energy Canada, Ontario Agribusiness Association and seed companies that have participated since the start of these trials including Brevant, Country Farm Seeds, CROPLAN, DeDell, Dekalb, Maizex Seeds, NK Brand, Pioneer, Pride Seeds and Saatbau.)
About the Ontario Corn Committee
The Ontario Corn Committee is made up of representatives from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness; University of Guelph; Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association; Grain Farmers of Ontario; Ontario Agri Business Association; Ontario Certified Crop Advisors and Seeds Canada. Hybrid tests are conducted each year by the following cooperating agencies: University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus; University of Guelph Plant Agriculture Department; University of Guelph, Winchester Research Station; Kent Ag Research Inc.; and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (Ottawa).
