212 Effects of Plant Density on Growth, Yield, and Quality of Fresh-market Sweet Corn

Abstract

In summer 1998, two sh2, fresh-market, sweet corn cultivars (`Candy Corner'—large plant size, and `Swifty'—small plant size) were grown at 5, 6.5, 8, and 9.5 plants/m2 to investigate the effects of plant density on growth, photosynthesis, biomass, yield, and quality. Biomass and leaf area per plant were not affected by plant density. Therefore, biomass and leaf area per unit area were increased with increasing plant density. Plant height, leaf chlorophyll, leaf photosynthesis, and transpiration (measured with the LI-COR 6400 portable photosynthesis system) were not affected by plant density. Total cob weight (husk off) and number of ears harvested from plants were increased with increasing plant density. However, marketable yield (number of marketable ears) was not affected by plant density and marketable cob weight (husk off) decreased with increasing plant density due to the reduction in ear size with high plant density. There was a significant increase in percentage of unmarketable ears at plant density higher than 6.5 plant/m2 with `Candy Corner'. Kernel sugar content (°Brix) in both cultivars increased with plant density. According to the results of this experiment, the optimum plant density for fresh-market sweet corn was 5 to 6 plants/m 2.