Should corn tillers really be removed or not?

Some corn growers choose to remove corn tillers, while a small number of corn growers do not remove the tillers. So should corn tillers be removed or not? Let us take a look together.

1. Should corn tillers be removed or not

Corn tillers can be removed or left alone, because the number of tillers that can take over is relatively small and will not have a great impact on the corn's nutrient uptake. However, the labor cost of removing corn tillers is relatively high. If corn tillers are found, they can be removed; if the tillers have already grown taller than the main stalk, they should be removed; tillers at the field edges and ridge borders should be removed to ensure overall ventilation and light penetration.

2. What are the benefits of removing corn tillers?

1. Increasing the overall leaf area of corn. Research shows that the experimental corn variety without tillering removed had a leaf area per hectare of 35610-46510 sq m, while the leaf area per hectare with tillering removed was only 24690 sq m. The former had a much larger leaf area than the latter, laying a good foundation for corn to produce more dry matter.

2. Increasing the number of roots. The results of root system measurements show that the average number of roots per plant with tillers retained was 56, while that of plants with tillers removed was 29, an average increase of 27.6 roots, or 95%.

3. Reducing soil moisture evaporation. Measurements show that retaining tillers resulted in soil moisture content at 10 cm below the surface being 14.49% higher than with tillers removed. After retaining tillers, a larger leaf canopy is formed, which reduces soil moisture evaporation and plays a role in preserving soil moisture. It can be seen that under such circumstances, compared with surface evaporation, leaf transpiration has a greater effect, so retaining tillers can preserve soil moisture and resist drought.

4. Eliminating apical dominance. Corn main stems with many tillers are all short, thick and stout in morphology. The more tillers there are, the less likely the main stem is to grow excessively. Short, thick and stout plants are the sign of high yield!

5. Reflux of reproductive elements. After corn tasseling, tillers gradually wither and die, and the water, photosynthetic products and reproductive elements within them flow back to the main stem, ultimately providing nutrients for corn maturation.

3. What are the disadvantages of removing corn tillers?

1. If corn tillers are removed, obvious wounds will be formed, which will not only cause the loss of water and nutrients, but also make the plant susceptible to some diseases. Moreover, if the tillers are removed early, they will still continue to grow later. In other words, the more you remove, the more they grow.

2. Corn tillers are actually equivalent to corn leaves, so they can increase the overall leaf area of corn, improve photosynthesis, and benefit corn growth.

3. Ordinary corn tillers have little impact on corn yield, but removing them requires a large amount of manpower and material resources, so removing tillers is generally not cost-effective.

Corn tillers can actually be removed or not. If you see them, you can remove them casually. If planting on a large scale, you can choose not to remove them, as the impact on corn is not significant.