What to do about low corn germination rates? Causes and solutions
Corn is one of the most common crops in our country and also the main source of income for many rural families. As demand for it keeps growing, its planting area is also constantly expanding. However, many farmers often encounter low germination rates when planting, which often affects yields and causes economic losses for farmers. So what are the causes of low corn germination rates? How can this problem be solved? Come take a look at the detailed introduction from Qinong Web.
1. Poor seed maturity
The germination rate of corn is closely related to seed maturity. With good maturity, corn has a high germination rate and also higher germination vigor. This situation mainly occurs when planting in higher-altitude areas, where temperatures keep dropping in the late grain-filling stage of corn, causing the seeds not to reach the expected accumulated heat, so maturity is affected.
Solution: When sowing, choose varieties with a high germination rate, stable yield and strong stress resistance. At the same time, combine this with the local climate and environment and choose a suitable seed production base. In higher-altitude areas, sow early to promote early maturity and achieve the effect of later accumulated heat.
2. Moisture
Seed moisture is also a major factor affecting the germination rate. After the seeds are harvested and begin to be dried in the sun, temperatures keep rising, and the seed grains are prone to mildew. When the seeds are just harvested, the moisture content can reach 30%-40%, but as the storage time increases, the temperature of the piled corn rises, and the moisture also keeps rising, causing seed vigor to decline and then be completely lost, which leads to a continuous drop in the germination rate, and eventually the seed grains become moldy and lose the ability to germinate.
Solution: After harvest, dehydrate promptly to reduce the moisture in the seeds. Pay attention to the time when piling them up; long-term piling is not suitable. Also pay attention to the method when drying them in the sun.
3. Low temperature
Like moisture, low temperature can cause freezing damage to seeds and lead to a low germination rate. After the seeds are harvested, if the ground temperature drops sharply to minus 14-15 degrees, it will directly reduce the germination rate of the seeds. If this lasts as long as a week, the seeds will basically have no germination rate.
Solution: Low germination rates caused by low temperature mainly occur in northern regions. During harvest and storage, be sure to pay attention to the ground temperature; it should not be too low. If the temperature is too low, you can isolate the effect of low temperature on the seeds by placing something underneath them.
4. Mechanical damage
When threshing corn, mechanized methods are now used, which are convenient and quick, but they very easily cause mechanical damage, leading to damage to the embryo part of the corn kernels, causing an increase in deformed seedlings and reducing the germination rate.
Solution: When threshing, it must be done scientifically and reasonably. The most scientific method is manual threshing, which basically does not damage the seeds, but it is time-consuming and labor-intensive and is gradually being phased out. What is common now is mechanical threshing. In fact, the damage rate of mechanical threshing is related to the moisture content of the seeds. When the seed moisture is below 15%, the damage rate is about 1%, while when the seed moisture is 17%, the damage rate reaches 2.5%, so only by controlling the moisture content can the damage rate be reduced.
The above are the causes of low corn germination rates and the solutions brought to you by Qinong Web. We hope they can help you. To learn more about corn planting knowledge, please keep following Qinong Web.