What causes short corn husks

Corn is a very popular food crop and is grown on a very large area in our country. The cultivation techniques for corn are not very difficult, and the yield is relatively high. However, if management is poor, many problems often appear during corn growth that affect corn yield and reduce planting benefits. Short corn husks are one of them. So what causes short corn husks? Below, the editor will give you a brief introduction. Let's take a look together!

1. Drought and water shortage

Corn has a very large demand for water during growth. During cultivation, we must water frequently to meet the water needed for corn growth, especially during the jointing stage. The corn jointing stage is exactly the differentiation stage of the corn ear, and at this time the demand for water is even greater. If high temperature and water shortage occur during the jointing stage, then the differentiation times of the corn husk and the ear are inconsistent, causing the phenomenon of short corn husks.

2. Weather reasons

Weather is also a main reason for short corn husks. For example, when cloudy and rainy days occur, light and temperature cannot meet the growth needs of corn. This affects corn photosynthesis, and if photosynthesis is affected, nutrient accumulation is insufficient. This causes the growth rate of the husk to decrease, and its growth progress becomes inconsistent with the ear, so it cannot grow to the same length as the ear. The ear exceeds the length of the husk, causing poor phenomena such as exposed tips.

3. Overdense planting

When planting corn, planting density must be strictly controlled. It absolutely must not be too dense, because excessive density will lead to insufficient growth space for corn plants and affect the growth of each plant. It reduces air and light permeability in the corn field, causes the internal temperature to rise beyond the range corn can tolerate, and also provides insufficient light, which greatly affects the growth of corn husks and the seed-setting rate, seriously hindering corn growth.

4. Insufficient micronutrients

During corn growth, nutrients are essential substances. When topdressing, many farmers only pay attention to the application of basic elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, while ignoring trace elements such as boron. If corn lacks boron, then the formation of corn tassel pollen will be inhibited and its activity will be reduced. If it lacks zinc, then many white spots will appear on the old leaves of the corn plant, then expand to form white patches, causing leaf death, shortening internodes, and causing ear deformity.

5. How to prevent short corn husks

First, we must do a good job in fertilization, and advance the time of applying ear fertilizer. It is best to apply ear fertilizer around the tasseling stage. Then water frequently to avoid drought in the soil, especially when the female ear emerges, we must ensure sufficient water to promote normal growth of the husk. When planting, we must also do a good job in selecting varieties. For example, red-cob varieties are very prone to poor phenomena such as short husks, missing grains, and bald tips.

The above is a brief introduction to the causes of short corn husks. There are many reasons for short corn husks, and most of them are caused by improper management, so when planting, everyone must do a good job in management to ensure normal corn growth. That is all for today's introduction. This article is for reference only and we hope it can help everyone!