(22) Effect of Biculture Legume-Cereal Cover Crops on Kernel Weight and Yields of Sweet Corn Grown with or without Synthetic Nitrogen

Abstract

The goal of this study was to compare the effect of leguminous and non-leguminous cover crops alone or in mixture with fertilizer nitrogen rates on kernel weight, ear number, and yield of Bt sweet corn. The following fall-spring fertility treatments were applied using randomized complete-block design with three replications: 1) fall-0 N, fallow; spring-0 N, 2) fall-0 N, abruzzi rye; spring-0 N, 3) fall-0 N, hairy vetch; spring-0 N, 4) fall-0 N, abruzzi rye+hairy vetch; spring-0 N, 5) fall-0 N, fallow; spring-101 kg N/ha, 6) fall-0 N, abruzzi rye; spring-101 kg N/ha, 7) fall-0 N, hairy vetch; spring-101 kg N/ha, 8) fall-0 N, abruzzi rye+hairy vetch; spring-101 kg N/ha, 9) fall-0 N, fallow; spring-202 kg N/ha, 10) fall-0 N, abruzzi rye; spring-202 kg N/ha, 11) fall-0 N, hairy vetch; spring-202 kg N/ha, and 12) fall-0 N, abruzzi rye+hairy vetch; spring-202 kg N/ha. In Spring of 2005, `Attribute BSS0977' bi-color (BC) supersweet (sh2) corn seeds were field planted. Total unhusked ear yield and ear number were harvested 74 days after planting, while kernel weight was measured from three randomly chosen ears. Maximum kernel fresh weight (111.6 g/ear), ear number (101,773/ha) and total yield (17.3 Mg/ha) were produced by hairy vetch; spring-101 kg N/ha. Minimum kernel fresh weight (23.0 g/ear) and ear number (51,485/ha) were produced by fallow; spring-0 N, while minimum total yield (2.2 Mg/ha) was produced by abruzzi rye; spring-0 N. Results indicate that hairy vetch supplemented with N at 101 kg/ha is most effective in supporting kernel fresh weight, ear number and yield of this BCsh2 corn variety.