What are the latest causes of abnormal corn grain filling?

Corn, as one of the most important grain crops in our country, is planted in most regions of our country. When growing corn, it is inevitable to encounter many problems, and the most common among them are bare ear tips and missing kernels, both of which can be abnormal grain filling phenomena, seriously affecting corn yield and reducing planting benefits. So what is going on with abnormal corn grain filling? Today the editor will give you a brief introduction. Let's take a look below!

1. Variety reasons

Abnormal corn grain filling may be caused by variety reasons. This is because many corn varieties are inherently prone to abnormal grain filling, mainly due to genetic factors present in the seeds themselves. This belongs to congenital abnormal grain filling, such as degeneration of hybrid characteristics, metabolic disorders, etc., or the congenital vascular tissue in the seed being blocked, unable to timely transport nutrients to the ear. This causes the ear to lack sufficient nutrients and be unable to fill and set grain normally, resulting in various abnormal grain filling phenomena such as bare ear tips and missing kernels.

2. Fertilizer and water reasons

When sowing corn, if the soil moisture is too poor, it will affect the germination and emergence of corn seeds. This leads to uneven emergence of corn seeds, with large seedlings seizing the growth nutrients of small seedlings, and the small seedlings will therefore show phenomena such as plumpness-less kernels and bare tips and empty stalks. And if fertilizer and water are lacking during the female ear differentiation stage, it will affect the photosynthesis of corn, leading to insufficient accumulation of organic matter and affecting the development of the ear. In addition, if nitrogen fertilizer is applied excessively while potassium fertilizer is neglected, it will cause excessive vegetative growth of the plant, consume too many nutrients, and also easily cause abnormal grain filling.

3. High temperature and drought

Corn is a crop that likes to grow in a warm environment. During the booting stage and pollination stage of corn, the suitable temperature should be around 28 degrees, and the field soil moisture content should also be maintained at around 75%. The female ear flowers most when the temperature is 25 degrees and the humidity is around 75%. If the temperature is too high and the soil lacks water, then it will cause great obstacles to the nutrient absorption of the corn roots, affecting the differentiation of the male and female ears of corn. Especially from the corn funnel stage to before tasseling, this is when corn has the greatest water demand. If there is high temperature and drought at this time, it will reduce the vitality of pollen, lead to flowering asynchrony, and easily cause various abnormal grain filling phenomena.

4. Apical dominance

The corn tassel is mainly formed through the development of the apical bud of the corn plant, and its growth vigor is also relatively strong. Under normal circumstances, the differentiation time of the corn tassel is generally about one week earlier than that of the female ear. The female ear, however, develops from axillary buds, so its growth vigor is naturally weaker than that of the tassel. If external environmental conditions affect the growth of corn, then the tassel will inhibit the growth of the female ear. The tassel will also use apical dominance to absorb a large amount of nutrients to the top, causing the female ear to show empty stalks and missing kernels due to malnutrition.

The above is a brief introduction to what is going on with abnormal corn grain filling. That's all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only, and I hope it can help everyone!