Marketable Ears Research Articles

Planting Geometry May Be Used to Optimize Plant Density and Yields without Changing Yield Potential per Plant in Sweet Corn.

Planting geometry is one of the most important management practices that determine plant growth and yield of corn. The effects of eight planting geometries (35 × 23 cm, 40 × 21 cm, 45 × 19 cm, 50 × 18 cm, 55 × 17 cm, 60 × 16 cm, 65 × 15 cm, 70 × 15 cm) on plant growth and yields of three sweet corn hybrids (Argos F1, Challenger F1, Khan F1) were investigated under Erzurum, Türkiye conditions in 2022 and 2023 years. Variance analysis of the main factors shows a highly significant effect on whole traits but in two-way interactions some of the traits were significant and in the three-way interactions, it was insignificant. As an average of years, the number of plants per hectare at the harvest varied between 92,307 (35 × 23 cm) and 120,444 (70 × 15 cm) according to the planting geometries. The highest marketable ear number per hectare (107,456), marketable ear yield (24,887 kg ha-1), and fresh kernel yield (19,493 kg ha-1) were obtained from the 40 × 21 cm planting geometry. The results showed that the variety Khan F1 grown at 40 × 21 cm planting geometry obtained the highest marketable ear number (112,472), marketable ear yield (29,788 kg ha-1), and fresh kernel yield (22,432 kg ha-1). The plant density was positively correlated with marketable ear number (r = 0.904 **), marketable ear yield (r = 0.853 **), and fresh kernel yield (r = 0.801 **). The differences among the varieties were significant for the studied traits, except for plant density and kernel number per ear. In conclusion, the variety Khan F1 should be grown at the 40 × 21 cm planting geometry to maximize yields under study area conditions without water and nutrient limitations.

Combined selection for productivity, adaptability, and stability in corn genotypes for baby corn production

AbstractBaby corn is the name given to the female inflorescence of corn (Zea mays L.) before fertilization, being harvested in 2–3 days after the issuance of the styles‐stigmata. Currently, in Brazil, there is no specific corn cultivar for baby corn production, which leads to the use of popcorn and sweet corn cultivars because they are more accepted in the food industry. Therefore, the objective of this work was to estimate the genetic parameters and determine the efficiency of simultaneous selection based on productivity, adaptability, and stability of corn genotypes for baby corn production in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. The evaluations were conducted in 2019 on family properties in six municipalities in the state of Espírito Santo. Eleven corn genotypes were evaluated for baby corn production, being a double hybrid, four native varieties, and six commercial varieties. The design was randomized blocks with four repetitions each. The genetic parameters were estimated, which were obtained using the best linear unbiased prediction (BLUP), and the selection was carried out by the harmonic mean of the relative performance of genotypic values (HMRPGV). It was observed that the environments influenced the performance of the genotypes, configuring specific adaptation. The genotypes AG 1051, Aliança, and BR 106 presented the best performances in all the environments evaluated, considering, simultaneously, the productivity, adaptability, and stability of marketable ears. The HMRPGV method provided optimized selection of corn genotypes to produce baby corn with high productive potential, predictable behavior, and responsive to environmental stimuli.

Cinco ciclos de seleção recorrente intrapopulacional em progênies de meioirmãos de milho fresco

ABSTRACT Fresh corn is a highly appreciated vegetable in Brazil; this crop has high added value and profitability when compared to dry corn. Despite the consumer market demand for quality, cultivars are not launched every crop season and there is a small number of cultivars available to growers. This denotes a need for breeding programs focused on generating information and genotypes that can occupy this market niche. The objective of this work was to evaluate the progress of five cycles of intrapopulation recurrent selection in half-sib progenies of fresh corn, in the southwest region of Goiás. A randomized block experimental design was used, with evaluation of 64 progenies of corn half-sib progenies and selection intensity of 30% per cycle, with three replications, in the 2011-2012, 2013-2014, 2015-2016, 2017-2018, and 2020-2021 summer crop seasons. The half-sib progenies of fresh corn exhibited genetic variability through intrapopulation recurrent selection in the different selection cycles, which is still promising for further selections after five cycles, with evaluation of 64 progenies per cycle. The base population from crossings between hybrids for tropical and temperate climates showed to be promising for increasing the genetic base of fresh corn populations, with satisfactory gains over the five cycles, presenting mean heritability between the cycles of approximately 78.9% for relative chlorophyll index, 62.2% for plant height, 75.1% for ear insertion height, 70% for ear diameter, 56.6% for ear length, 71.4% for unhusked ear yield, and 71% for marketable ear yield.

No Evidence Sowing Date Influences Optimum Plant Density of Sweet Corn Grown in the Midwestern United States

Sweet corn (Zea mays L.var. rugosa or saccharata) is sown across a wide range of dates to provide a steady supply of marketable ears for fresh market and processing. There is a perception in the sweet corn industry that plant density tolerance declines in late-season plantings in the midwestern United States; however, publicly available data to support this perception cannot be found. Using field experiments, the objectives of this research were to quantify the effect of the sowing date on growth responses to plant density and determine the extent to which the sowing date influences the optimum plant density and maximum yield/profit. There were few main effects or interactions of the sowing date on crop growth. More importantly, there was no effect of the sowing date on the economically optimum plant density or plant density that optimized yield. Although variations exist in sweet corn optimum plant densities in the midwestern United States, these variations are likely driven by several factors other than the sowing date that have not yet been fully characterized.

Nitrogen fertilization split in green corn under rainfed system

The objective of this work was evaluating the nitrogen fertilization splitting on the performance of green corn, grown in rainfed system. The experiment was carried out in Forquilha, Ceará state. Two varieties of corn (Sweet and Gorutuba) were used in the experiment, grown in five types of nitrogen fertilization in the crop cycle (one; three; six; nine and twelve applications). The variables evaluated were: plant height, stem diameter, number of leaves of the plant, plant fresh mass, plant dry mass, ear mass plant-1, marketable ear mass plant-1, marketable husked ear mass plant-1, marketable unhusked ear mass plant-1, number of ear plant-1, number of marketable ear plant-1, length of husked marketable ear, length of marketable unhusked ear, diameter of marketable husked ear, diameter of marketable unhooked ear, number of rows marketable ear-1 and number of grains row-1 of marketable ear. The data were subjected to analysis of variance by the F test (P < 0.05) and the treatment means were compared by the test of Tukey (P < 0.05) and subjected to regression analysis. It was observed that the split of nitrogen fertilization promoted the development of the two varieties of corn studied. It was found that the split, performed in six applications, provided greater vegetative and reproductive development of the corn varieties.

Effect of Alternative Row Spacing and Plant Densities on Fresh Ear Yield and Quality of Second Crop Super Sweet Corn Production

This study was conducted to increase the yield and quality of super sweet corn cultivation; for Vega Super Sweet Corn Variety at two different row spacing (25-45 cm, 70cm) and four different plant densities (15 cm, 20 cm, 25cm, 30 cm) during 2017 and 2018 in Bursa conditions. The research was done according to split plots of randomized blocks design with three replicates. The factors are row spacings and plant densities. Plant height, ear length, ear diameter, ear row number, number of ears per plant, fresh ear yield, and marketable ear percentage were investigated in this study. In the trial ear length, ear diameter, seed number in the ear, numbers of ears per plant, and fresh ear yield are founded to important in terms of statistics for row spacing, the other specialties were founded unimportant. For plant density; plant height, ear diameter, number of ears per plant, fresh ear yield, and marketable ear percentage are founded important in terms of statistics, and the other traits are unimportant. Ear diameter, seed number in the ear, number of ears per plant, and fresh ear yield were founded important in terms of statistics for row spacing and also plant density. According to research results of super sweet corn production for the second crop, the most suitable plant density is 20 cm for a 70 cm row spacing modal, and the most suitable plant spacing is 25 cm plant density for a 25- 45 cm row spacing modal in Karacabey conditions.

The effects of different tillage practices on soil properties, yield and pest incidence of various sweet corn (Zea mays L. Var Saccharata) varieties

Conservation tillage is one of the crop production adaptation strategies for conserving soil and mitigating climate change. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different tillage practices on the yield, soil properties, and pest incidence of corn varieties that would give optimum output. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Zero and minimum tillage served as the main plot, and the different sweet corn varieties as the subplot (T1-Macho F1, T2-Sweet Supreme F1, T3-Purple Magic F1, T4-Hi-Brix XL F1, and T5-Sugar King F1). Results showed that Hi-Brix XL F1 (8t ha-1), Purple Magic F1 (7.44t ha-1), and Macho F1 (7.45t ha-1) obtained high marketable ear yields among the different sweet corn varieties. On the other hand, zero and minimum tillage did not vary significantly in terms of the soil properties, resulting in no yield advantage for sweet corn. This means that sweet corn production can be done either with zero or minimum tillage. In addition, zero tillage practice obtained lower fresh weight (g) of weeds at 15 and 45 days after planting. Weeds were eliminated using non-selective herbicide spray with zero tillage, resulting in lower weed incidence than with minimum tillage where only one plowing and harrowing were done.

Potential of corn hybrids for fresh consumption

The objective of this work was to evaluate the potential of corn hybrids for grain productivity and fresh produce marketability in two crop seasons. The experiment applied the completely randomized block design with three replications, during 2013-14 and 2014-15 crops. Ten hybrids indicated for the Midwest region of Goiás state were used, namely 2B512PW, 2B587PW, 2B707PW, 30F35HR, 30F53YH, BRS1055, BM3061, P3646H and P3862YH. Hybrid AG1051 was used as control. The studied variables were ear height (EH), unhusked ear productivity (UEP), husked ear productivity (HEP), marketable ear productivity (MEP), marketable ear length (MEL), marketable ear diameter (MED), grain mass (GM), and gross revenue (GR). Records show that hybrid P3646H achieved results lower than the control in all the analyzed variables, regardless of the crop season, whereas hybrids 2B512PW, BRS1055 and P3862YH showed figures similar to AG1051 in 2013/14 crop and lower ones in 2014/15. Therefore, would not represent direct market competitors, as the control hybrid holds a significant share in the domestic market. Hybrids 2B587PW, 30F35HR, 30F53YH and BM3061 presented the greatest suitability for fresh corn consumption, as featured the highest number of favorable traits for that market.

Historical Trends in Sweet Corn Plant Density Tolerance Using Era Hybrids (1930-2010s).

Over the last six decades, steady improvement in plant density tolerance (PDT) has been one of the largest contributors to genetic yield gain in field corn. While recent research indicates that PDT in modern sweet corn hybrids could be exploited to improve yield, historical changes in PDT in sweet corn are unknown. The objectives of this study were to: (a) quantify the extent to which PDT has changed since introduction of hybrid sweet corn and (b) determine the extent to which changes over time in PDT are associated with plant morpho-physiological and ear traits. An era panel was assembled by recreating 15 sugary1 sweet corn hybrids that were widely used at one time in the United States, representing hybrids since the 1930s. Era hybrids were evaluated in field experiments in a randomized complete block design with a split-plot arrangement of treatments, including hybrid as the main factor and density as the split-plot factor. Plant density treatments included “Low” plant density (9,900 plants/ha) free of crowding stress or “High” plant density (79,000 plants/ha) with crowding stress. On average, per-area marketable ear mass (Mt/ha) increased at a rate of 0.8 Mt/ha/decade at High densities, whereas per-plant yield (i.e., kg/plant) remained unchanged over time regardless of the density level. Crate yield, a fresh market metric, improved for modern hybrids. However, processing sweet corn yield metrics like fresh kernel mass and recovery (amount of kernel mass contributing to the fresh ear mass) showed modest or no improvement over time, respectively. Modern sweet corn hybrids tend to have fewer tillers and lower fresh shoot biomass, potentially allowing the use of higher plant density; however, plant architecture alone does not accurately predict PDT of individual hybrids.

THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENT SOWING TIMES ON FRESH EAR YIELD AND YIELD COMPONENTS IN SWEET CORN (ZEA MAYS L. SACCHARATA STURT.) VARIETIES

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of different sowing times on duration of tasselling, plant height, first ear height, ear length, ear diameter, number of ears per plant, fresh ear yield with husk, fresh ear yield unhusked, and marketable number of ears of different sweet corn (Zea mays L. saccharata Sturt.) varieties in Diyarbakır between the years of 2010-2012. The trial was conducted as split plots in randomised complete blocks with three replications. The main plots were sowing times, and the sub-plots were varieties. The trials were carried out at eight different sowing times (1 April, 15 April, 1 May, 15 May, 1 June, 15 June, 1 July and 15 July) with ‘Merit’, ‘Jubilee’, ‘Lumina’, ‘Vega’ and ‘Sakarya’ composite sweet corn varieties. From the variance analysis of the three-year combined average, the duration of tasselling, plant height, first ear height, ear length, ear diameter, number of ears per plant, fresh husked ear yield, fresh unhusked ear yield and marketable ear number were statistically significant for sowing times and varieties. According to the sowing time × variety interaction, except ears per plant and first ear height values, all other traits were significant. The fresh husked and unhusked ear yields varied between 8541.7-19396.8 kg ha-1 and 5065.0-13485.7 kg ha-1, respectively. The highest fresh husked and fresh unhusked ear yields were obtained from the 15 April sowing time of ‘Vega’ variety. The results state that optimal sowing dates for different varieties of sweet corn could be from 1 April to 1 May, and the most suitable variety to be planted is ‘Vega’ in Diyarbakır conditions.

Response of sweet corn (Zea mays L. var. saccharata) to vermicompost and inorganic fertilizer application

This study was conducted to determine the appropriate rate of vermicompost that would influence the agronomic performance and evaluate the effect of combining the different vermicompost rates and the specific rate of inorganic fertilizer that could effectively promote the growth and yield of sweet corn. The experiment was conducted in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with ten (10) treatments and three (3) replications. The treatments are as follows: T1 – 120-90-60 kg ha-1 inorganic fertilizer or farmers’ practice, T2 – 5 t ha-1 vermicompost + 102-76.5-51 kg ha-1 inorganic fertilizer, T3 – 10 t ha-1 vermicompost + 96-72-48 kg ha-1 inorganic fertilizer, T4 – 20 t ha-1 vermicompost + 84-63-42 kg ha-1 inorganic fertilizer, T5 – 40 t ha-1 vermicompost + 60-45-30 kg ha-1 inorganic fertilizer, T6 – no application (control group), T7 – 5 t ha-1 vermicompost, T8 – 10 t ha-1 vermicompost, T9 – 20 t ha-1 vermicompost, and T10 – 40 t ha-1 vermicompost. Results of the study revealed that the different treatments influenced the ear yield (husked and unhusk), kernels per ear, weight per ear, percentage of marketable ears, percentage of barren plants, and percentage of double ears. The treatments 1 to 5 yielded significantly higher compared to the control treatment (T6) which implies that the application of vermicompost with 50 - 85% of the farmers’ practice had significant improvement in sweet corn production. The application of 20 t ha-1 vermicompost + 70% of farmers’ practice achieved the highest yield at 12.50 and 15.80 t ha-1 husked and unhusk ears respectively. Highest percentage of double ears at 29.69% was attained on the plants applied with 40 t ha-1 vermicompost + half of farmers’ practice. The yields of sweet corn applied with vermicompost alone were not comparable to treatments applied with inorganic fertilizers.

Застосування препарату регоплант у зрошуваних умовах південного степу України на кукурудзі цукровій

The article is devoted to the study of the influence of the growth-regulating drug Regoplant on the productivity and growth processes of sugar corn in the conditions of the Southern Steppe of Ukraine on dark chestnut soils under irrigation. The aim of the work was to formulate current recommendations for agricultural producers on the use of the growth-regulating drug Regoplant, the selection of hybrids and the scheme of sowing sugar corn, based on the results of field experiments. Materials and methods. Studies to study the effect of the Regoplant preparation, the hybrid composition and the schemes of sowing sugar corn on the productivity of the crop were carried out on dark chestnut slightly solonetzic soils in the Kherson region. The experiment was carried out in four repetitions, in full accordance with modern requirements for the implementation of field experiments in agronomy. Regoplant preparation was used at a dose of 50 ml / ha in the phase of 7-8 leaves. The modern hybrids of the MNAGOR selection - Deyneris F1, Champion F1, NBM-2020 F1 were put to the study. Sowing patterns of the culture - 70 × 10 cm, 70 × 20 cm, 45 × 20 cm, 45 × 30 cm. Growth processes were assessed by the height of the plants in the panicle flowering phase, the crop yield was determined by the mass of marketable ears in wrappers collected from the experimental plot manually and weighed on an electronic analytical balance. Statistical processing of research results was performed at 95 % confidence level in the AgroStat software product. Results. All studied factors influenced the growth processes and productivity of sweet corn. The highest height (185.50 cm) of the crop plants was reached in the variant with the Daenerys F1 hybrid, where the treatment with the Regoplant preparation was not performed, with a seeding pattern of 45 × 30 cm, the minimum plant height was recorded in the areas of the NBM-2020 F1 hybrid with a seeding pattern of 70 × 20 cm and treatment with Regoplant preparation - 125.50 cm. The maximum yield was achieved on the variant with the NBM 2020 F1 hybrid with a seeding scheme of 45 × 30 cm and treatment with the growth-regulating preparation Regoplant in the phase of 7-8 leaves of the culture with a dose of 50 ml / ha - 25, 34 t / ha. The lowest crop yield was obtained on the variant with the Champion F1 hybrid with a seeding scheme of 45 × 30 cm and without treatment with Regoplant - 6.72 t / ha. Conclusions. According to the results of the studies, we consider it expedient to recommend for sowing in the South of Ukraine on dark chestnut soils with irrigation a hybrid of sugar maize NBM-2020 F1 according to the scheme 45 × 30 cm and to process the growth-regulating drug Regoplant in the phase of 7-8 leaves of the culture with a dose of 50 ml / ha. This combination of agrotechnical factors ensured the maximum crop yield in the experiment - 25.34 t / ha of marketable ears in wrappers.

Variability in Prolificacy, Total Carotenoids, Lutein, and Zeaxanthin of Yellow Small-Ear Waxy Corn Germplasm

Waxy corn is a popular, alternative staple food in most Asian countries including Thailand. The availability of small-ear waxy corn genotypes with prolific ears and a high level of carotenoids is expected to benefit growers and consumers. Integrated evaluation among source germplasm is essential before performing further breeding efforts for enhancing prolific ears and high-carotenoid content. Thus, the present study explored the variability of ear prolificacy, total carotenoids, lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene among yellow small-ear waxy corn accessions. About 44 corn accessions and 4 check varieties were evaluated for agronomic traits and yield components under multienvironment trials in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The immature seed sample of these genotypes was analyzed to quantify the content of total carotenoids and some carotenoid fractions. All traits showed that low GXE interaction and significant genotypic diversity existed among all tested accessions with the predominant contribution of genotype to total phenotypic variation and beta-carotene. Accessions were clustered into four major groups based on the similarity of multiple carotenoids profiles. Three selected accessions (UT121001, KKU-WX112087, and KKU-WX212001) had higher values of total carotenoids, lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene than those of all check varieties. High and positive correlations among second-emerged ears, marketable second-emerged ears, and total ear number indicate that a higher chance of secondary ears becomes marketable ears with an increase of total ears per plant per hectare. Lutein and zeaxanthin had positive, strong correlations with total carotenoids. The implications and breeding strategies are discussed prior to promoting yellow small-ear waxy corn as a biofortified crop.

Soil-biodegradable Mulches for Growth, Yield, and Quality of Sweet Corn in a Mediterranean-type Climate

Plastic mulch is commonly used to produce many vegetable crops because of its potential to decrease days to harvest, control weeds, and improve soil moisture conservation. However, use of plastic mulch is relatively new for sweet corn (Zea mays L.) in North America. We compared five plastic soil-biodegradable mulches [BDMs; Bio360, Organix AG, Clear Organix AG, Naturecycle, and Experimental polylactic acid/polyhydroxyalkanoates (Metabolix, Inc., Cambridge, MA)] and a paper mulch (WeedGuardPlus) against standard black polyethylene (PE; nonbiodegradable) mulch and bare ground cultivation for growth, yield, and quality of sweet corn cultivar Xtra Tender 2171. This field experiment was carried out in Mount Vernon, WA, which has a Mediterranean-type climate with an average air temperature of 16.1 °C during the 2017 and 2018 growing seasons. The experiment was drip irrigated; and in both years, preemergence herbicides were applied to the entire experimental area 1 to 2 days after seeding, and post-emergence herbicides were applied to alleys. While most mulches remained intact until the end of the growing season, Clear Organix AG started to split shortly after laying, resulting in significant weed pressure by midseason in both 2017 and 2018. Plant height toward the end of the season was lowest for plants grown on bare ground, intermediate for Clear Organix AG and WeedGuardPlus, and highest for the black plastic BDM and PE mulch treatments both years, except for Bio360 in 2018 where plant height was intermediate. Days to 50% tasseling and 50% silking were delayed 9 and 13 days, respectively, for bare ground and WeedGuardPlus compared with all other treatments in both years. Marketable ear yield was highest with the black plastic BDMs and PE mulch and lowest with bare ground, WeedGuardPlus, and Clear Organix AG treatments in both years. Total soluble solid content of kernels, and length and diameter of ears grown on the plastic BDM and PE mulch treatments were equal to or greater than, but never lower than, bare ground and WeedGuardPlus. These results indicate that growth, yield, and quality of sweet corn grown with black plastic BDMs are comparable to PE mulch, making black plastic BDMs an effective alternative to black PE mulch for sweet corn production in a Mediterranean-type climate.

Economic nitrogen rate for fertigation of green corn crop in the Brazilian semiarid

Abstract: The objective of this work was to determine the nitrogen rate for fertigation associated with the maximum productivity of green corn (Zea mays) with a lower production cost, in two harvest seasons in the Brazilian semiarid region. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with four replicates, and the treatments consisted of four N rates (0, 80, 160, and 240 kg ha-1) in form of urea, applied via drip irrigation. The used cultivar was the Bt Feroz hybrid. The evaluated characteristics were: number and mass of marketable ears, gross income, net income, and rate of return. The greatest amounts of marketable ears were reached with 152.52 kg ha-1 N in summer (41,183.84 ears per hectare) and 190.31 kg ha-1 N in winter (53,291.25 ears per hectare). In the two harvests, there was a variation in production costs between R$ 2,422.12 ha-1 and R$ 3,320.95 ha-1 without N and with 240 kg ha-1 N, respectively. The winter harvest showed higher productivity and profitability of green ears with fertigation with 160 kg ha-1 N. In the Brazilian semiarid, the maximum productivity of green corn with the lowest production cost is reached with fertigation with 90 kg ha-1 N, in both harvests.

Aptidão de híbridos de milho para o consumo in natura

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of corn hybrids for grain productivity and the possibility of commercialization&nbsp;in natura. The experiment design was a randomized block with three replications, in two crops. Ten hybrids indicated for the Midwest region of Goiás state were used, namely AG1051 (control), 2B512PW, 2B587PW, 2B707PW, 30F35HR, 30F53YH, BRS1055, BM3061, P3646H and P3862YH. The characteristics evaluated were ear-setting height, unhusked ear productivity, husked ear productivity, straw, marketable ear productivity, reject, marketable ear length, marketable ear diameter and grain mass. There is a significant difference for most of the analyzed variables, except for reject, ear length and ear diameter, in the 2014/15 harvest, indicating that there is variability between the hybrids and among the harvests studied. The hybrid 2B587PW presents better performance for the commercialization of husked ear and the hybrids 30F35HR, 30F53YH and BRS3061 for sale in trays, besides being above commercial standards required, principally for length and ear diameter, higher than the control hybrid, being the most suitable for consumption&nbsp;in natura.

Nitrogen Contribution from Winter‐Killed Faba Bean Cover Crop to Spring‐Sown Sweet Corn in Conventional and No‐Till Systems

Core Ideas Faba bean cover crops sown on 1 August accumulated up to 192 kg N ha–1.Better synchrony between faba bean residue decomposition and N uptake by sweet corn was achieved under NT management.Sweet corn yielded higher under NT vs. CT system.On average, faba bean provided approximately 50 kg ha–1 of subsequent sweet corn N requirements. The N release trend of winter‐killed faba bean (Vicia faba L.) residues has not been previously investigated. A 2‐yr experiment was conducted in 2013–2015 to investigate potential N accumulation in fall‐grown faba bean as cover crop and N contribution to subsequent sweet corn under no‐till (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) systems. Faba bean biomass prior to winter‐kill was reduced linearly with delayed planting. The amount of reduced biomass estimated approximately 180 and 210 kg ha−1 d−1 in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Faba bean sown on 1 August accumulated as much as 192 kg N ha−1 vs. 67 kg N ha−1 when planted on 14 August. Under CT, 50% of N was released from residues by the end of May however NT system delayed 50% N release until end of June, thus providing better synchrony with N uptake by sweet corn. Averaged over two years, sweet corn planted into the residues of the earliest sown faba bean produced 19% more marketable ears, 23% higher fresh ear weight, and 39% less unfilled ear tip compared with sweet corn grown in plots lacking a prior faba bean cover crop. Both number of marketable ears and fresh ear yield of sweet corn were significantly higher in NT compared with CT systems. On average, sweet corn seeded in faba bean residues and amended with an additional 50 kg N ha−1, yielded similarly to sweet corn received 100 kg N ha−1 with no prior faba bean cover crop.

Post-Harvest Crop Destruction Effects on Picture-Winged Fly (Diptera: Ulidiidae) Emergence

Abstract Sweet corn grown in Florida that is not well protected by insecticides often becomes heavily infested by maggots of picture-winged flies (Diptera: Ulidiidae). Additionally, after marketable ears are harvested, remaining ears are left unprotected and can be exploited by female flies. Larvae leave the ears to pupate in the soil. Occasionally, crop residue removal is delayed, sometimes for several weeks. Sweet corn plots were established in Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 to determine how various crop destruction techniques might impact the successful completion of the corn-infesting picture-winged fly life cycle. After harvest maturity, untreated sweet corn plots were partially mowed, disked once, disked twice, or left standing in the fall. In the spring, plots were partially plowed, disked twice, or left standing. Emergence cages were erected over the soil to intercept newly emerging adults. In the fall, crop destruction did not reduce adult emergence compared with the standing corn plots. In the spring...

Performance of irrigated green corn cultivars in different plant populations at sowing

ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the yield of green corn hybrids grown under irrigation in different plant populations at sowing. The assay was carried out in the experimental area located in the city of Arapiraca, Alagoas State, Brazil, from November 2015 to January 2016. A randomized complete block design (RCBD) was used, in a 2 x 5 factorial scheme with four replicates. A double- and a single-cross hybrid (AG 1051 and BM 3061), which are suitable for green corn production, were cultivated in five spacings between plants at sowing (15.0, 17.5, 20.0, 22.5 and 25.0 cm). The characteristics photosynthetic rate (PR), ear length with rusk (HEL) and without husk (UEL), husked ear weight (HEW), unhusked ear weight (UEW), percentage of marketable ears (%ME) and weight of husk (HW) were evaluated. The double- and single-cross hybrids AG 1051 and BM 3061 showed green ears with commercial standard. The cultivar BM 3061 showed the best results for most of the characteristics related to the performance of green corn (PR, HEL, UEL, UEW, HEW, %ME). The spacing of 17.5 cm between plants at sowing was the most indicated for irrigated green corn cultivation.

Gliricidia sepium intercropping for weed management in immature corn ear production

ABSTRACT The goal of the study was to test the effects of combined weeding and gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium) intercropping for weed control in baby corn and green corn production. A completely randomized block design was employed, with split-plot and four replicates. Hybrids AG 1051 and BR 205 were subjected to the following treatments: A = two hoeings, 20 and 40 days after sowing (DAS); B = hoeing at 20 DAS + gliricidia intercropping following weeding; C = gliricidia intercropping established at the moment of corn sowing (GICS) + hoeing at 40 DAS; D = GICS; E = no weeding. Gliricidia was broadcast sown with 30 viable seeds m-2. The best treatments follow the order A > B > C as number of ears, fresh mass of ears with husks, fresh and dry masses of ears without husks for baby corn, and number of ears, fresh mass of ears with husks, fresh and dry masses of ears without husks for green corn. The worst results are observed for treatments D and E. Treatment D is only better than treatment E for the number of marketable ears without husks. No differences in the yields of immature ears exist between the hybrids.