The Latest Solutions for Poorly Filled Corn Ears
Poorly filled corn ears are also called bare-tipped ears, referring to the phenomenon where the tip of the corn ear fails to set kernels, with grains that are not plump and do not reach the tip. It can seriously affect corn yield increases, severely harm corn production, and affect farmers' economic income. So what should be done about poorly filled corn ears? Let's learn about it together with the editor.
1. Push Hard on Ear Fertilizer
Corn ear fertilizer means topdressing corn 10 days before tasseling. This is the period when corn is advancing both vegetative growth and reproductive growth together, and young ear differentiation has entered the peak stage of female and male floret differentiation. It is the key period that determines ear size and grain number. It is also the period of the greatest fertilizer demand in the entire growth period of corn; at this stage, corn fertilizer demand accounts for more than 50% of the total topdressing amount. Especially for medium- and low-yield fields and plots that lose fertilizer later, it is even more necessary to push hard on ear fertilizer and increase the topdressing amount. Generally, 25-30 of ammonium bicarbonate is applied per mu, while supplementing an appropriate amount of phosphate and potassium fertilizer, so as to increase grains and fill the tip.
2. Detasseling Every Other Row
When the corn tassel has just emerged and has not yet released pollen outward, it is necessary to remove the tassel of every other row. This can save nutrients and concentrate the supply to the ear, causing the ear to silk earlier, prompting the male and female flowering periods to meet and improve the pollination rate, increasing ear grains and reducing the bare-tip phenomenon. The detasseling time is generally from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. When detasseling, the main thing is not to damage the leaves. The detasseling amount accounts for about 30%-40% of the total number of plants; too much will affect pollination.
3. Assisted Pollination
In order to further improve the pollination and fertilization rate, during the corn flowering period it is necessary to seize the time, manually collect pollen, and spread it on the ears, collecting and pollinating at the same time, to increase the fertilization rate. During pollination, if fertilization is affected because the silks are too long, the silks can be properly shortened, leaving about 1-2 cm, so that they form a fluffy ball shape and do not cover each other, which is beneficial to pollination and fertilization. Assisted pollination can greatly reduce the bare-tip phenomenon, increase grains, make the ears plump with kernels, and improve yield and quality.
4. Drought Resistance and Drainage
During the grain-filling period of corn, both water shortage and drought and waterlogging are extremely unfavorable. If there is drought, watering should be done in time to resist it, and after watering, cultivate and loosen the soil to ensure that corn has sufficient moisture to complete grain filling. If there is a lot of rain, then drainage ditches should be cleared in time and accumulated water removed promptly, which is beneficial for completing grain filling.
The above is an introduction to what to do about poorly filled corn ears. I hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please follow us.