Juan Di Salvo, IPSS graduate student in Plant and Soil Sciences, won second place in the 'Semi-arid Dryland Cropping Systems' community poster competition at the 2018 ASA/CSSA meeting. The title of his poster was "Differences in Corn Yield Productivity and Stability by Hybrid Maturity."

Juan received his bachelor degree from the Univeristy of Rosario (UNR) in Zavalla, Santa Fe, Argentina. He is a second year Master student with Dr. Montse Salmeron.

"Corn (Zea mays L.) hybrid relative maturity selection can be an inexpensive tool to manage yield potential and crop water requirements. Short season hybrids have reduced water requirements compared to full season hybrids but may reduce yield potential. My research focus on selecting optimum hybrid maturities depending on the ability to irrigate as a way to enhance crop productivity and stability. So far we observed that under irrigated conditions, relatively late hybrid maturities may increase yields due to a greater yield potential, and under rainfed conditions, early maturities may be advantageous by providing more stable yields."

View Poster at this LINK