What are the causes of poor kernel set in corn? The latest analysis is here
Corn is a grain crop that everyone loves very much. It is crisp, sweet and fragrant; one bite gives a mouthful of corn kernels, with the lingering aroma of corn swirling in your mouth. An ear of corn is supposed to be full of kernels, but during the corn planting process, poor kernel set is often found at harvest because of the surrounding planting environment, management and other aspects. So why does it happen? Let's take a look below!
1. Unsuitable temperature and humidity
Corn has relatively strict requirements for temperature and humidity during its growth process. When corn reaches the flowering stage, the temperature needs to be controlled at around 25 degrees, and the relative humidity in the air must not be lower than 70%. Before the male flowers tassel, there must be no water shortage; a water shortage will cause poor development of the florets on the ear and the female flowers will silk too late. And a water shortage after tasseling will also do the same. This leads to poor pollination between male and female flowers and inconsistent flowering periods. Moreover, if the temperature is too high and the humidity drops during pollination, it will affect the vitality of the pollen, making normal pollination impossible and leading to poor kernel set.
⟦NL>2. Weather reasons
The stage from the large trumpet stage to heading is the stage when corn most needs nutrients and is also the period when the most fertilizer is used. If continuous drought weather is encountered at this stage, it will affect the silking of the male and female flowers, causing pollen to shed early, and because the vitality of the pollen is too weak, the silks cannot withstand the high-temperature environment and wither, causing poor pollination. Also, if rainy weather is encountered during the pollination stage, it will also lead to poor kernel set, because when the pollen encounters water while being dispersed, it absorbs water, swells and finally bursts. This causes pollination failure and ultimately poor kernel set.
3. Insufficient soil fertility
Poor soil texture is an important cause of poor kernel set and even empty stalks in corn. Under the same conditions, sufficient fertility is far better for kernel set than poor fertility. Experimental investigation results show that the higher the fertility, the better the kernel set and the smaller the density. Also, a single fertilizer has a higher rate of empty ears and kernels than a formula fertilizer, and all trace elements in the soil are indispensable. The lack of any one element will increase the empty ear rate of corn and reduce the kernel set rate.
4. Poor nutrition during cultivation
If nutrition is insufficient when the female flowers of corn differentiate, it will reduce the photosynthesis of corn, decrease the accumulation of organic matter in corn, and lead to poor development of the female flowers. This affects the kernel set rate. Moreover, if there are too many nutrients, excess nutrition in the plant will cause the corn stalks to grow excessively, affecting the normal development of the flowers and leading to poor kernel set. The planting density of corn should also not be too high, because too high a density will cause the leaves to shade each other, resulting in extremely poor air permeability between the corn plants, reducing photosynthesis and lowering the kernel set rate.
In fact, poor kernel set means that the corn ear is not completely filled with corn kernels and cannot form commercial value. This seriously affects the economic interests of growers, so as long as the points I mentioned above are well controlled, the empty ear rate and poor kernel set rate of corn can be greatly reduced. If you want to learn more planting techniques, please continue to follow Qinnong Network!