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Corn Production

Corn Production. AGRO 1033 Field Crops. Corn - botany. Zea mays C4 plant Summer annual Monoecious 3 root systems: - seminal (temporary) - secondary (main system) - brace roots (support). brace roots. secondary roots. seminal roots. Panicle, florets with sterile ovaries.

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Corn Production

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  1. Corn Production AGRO 1033 Field Crops

  2. Corn - botany • Zea mays • C4 plant • Summer annual • Monoecious • 3 root systems: - seminal (temporary) - secondary (main system) - brace roots (support) brace roots secondary roots seminal roots

  3. Panicle, florets with sterile ovaries Ear, only has floret pistol: stigma, style (silk), and fertile ovary (kernel). ‘ear leaf’

  4. Corn - botany • Zea mays • Five main kernel types: - flint: popcorn, ornamental - flour - waxy - sweet (white, yellow, mixed) - dent

  5. flint flour sweet yellow dent

  6. Corn - botany • Zea mays • ‘open’ pollinated • Hybrids • Transgenic types: - herbicide, ie., RR - insecticide, ie., ‘Yieldguard’ (Bt) - others coming!

  7. Corn - botany • Zea mays • Early, mid-season varieties • Main growth stages: • emergence • V5-7 (apply mid-season N fertilizer) • internode elongation (IE) or ‘jointing • Reproduction: tasseling silking anthesis (pollen shed) ‘milk’ – ‘soft dough’ – ‘dough’ – early dent – late dent Black Dot (physiological maturity)

  8. dent flint flour

  9. Corn - History • Central Mexico origin • Early signs of cultivation about 8000 years ago • Spread to SW, SE, NE and then to great plains and Canada. • Disseminated overseas in early 1500’s • No known close relative, best match is a perennial grass called ‘teosinte’

  10. Corn - History • Early types were flints and flours • Considerable variability due to open pollination • Dent types emerged about 1500 years ago • 1940’s: Hybrid corn seed production revolutionized corn production, 2-3 fold yield increases seen in some areas!

  11. Corn - History • Hybrid seed corn development: - develop stable ‘inbred’ lines - cross two different inbred lines - plant the seed produced (F1 hybrid) - offspring will yield 2-5X parents! • New developments are herbicide resistant (glyphosate and some others) and internal insecticide producing transgenic varieties.

  12. Corn - utilizations • No. 1. Animal feed. • No. 2 high fructose corn syrup • No. 3, maybe soon to be No. 1 or 2, ethanol • Others: • Starch • Corn oil • Hybrid seed

  13. Corn Production – Hybrid selection • Yield – No. 1 - look at experiment station yield trials - Transgenic traits, ie., ‘RR’, ‘Bt’ - Maturity, ie., early, mid-late - Cost, availability of seed - Disease resistance

  14. Corn Production - Planting • EARLY! (late March to late April. Why?) - reduce late-season insect pressure - catch early rains - avoid late summer heat - higher yields, less input costs

  15. Corn Production - Planting • EARLY! (late March to late April.) • Seeding rates from 22,000 – 36,000 • 30 – 38 in rows • Try to get uniform stand and emergence • May need insecticide

  16. Corn Production - Fertility • SOIL TEST! • Lime in fall • P, K pre-plant • N: rates vary from 180-250 lbs N/acre • Apply ½ pre-plant, the other ½ sidedress at V5-7 Pre-plant N, P, K Side dressing liquid N fertilizer.

  17. Corn Production - Insects • Soil insects: - field history - insecticides: - in-furrow - over the top Corn rootworm wireworm

  18. Corn Production - Insects • Foliar insects: - Plant early! - crop monitoring - insecticide only when needed, rare - Bt transgenics (corn borers, ear- worms, armyworms. Corn borer Corn borer ‘shot holes’

  19. Corn Production - Insects • Foliar insects: - Plant early! - crop monitoring - insecticide only when needed, rare - Bt transgenics (corn borers, ear- worms, armyworms. Corn earworm Armyworms!

  20. Corn Production - Disease • Managed by good agronomic practices, fungicide seed treatments, and variety resistance. Fungicides rarely used or needed. anthracnose Ear smut!

  21. Corn Production - Weeds • Conventional hybrids: • Pre-emergence herbicides • Post-emergence herbicides if needed • Cultivation at side-dress Transgenic RR: • All glyphosate • Glyphosate + pre’s Pre-emergence herbicides Post-emergence herbicides

  22. Corn Production - Harvesting • Corn picker. • 19-22% moisture • Dried down to < 15% • Stored

  23. Corn Jokes ‘High breed corn’

  24. Corn Jokes Corn Porn (‘naked’ ears!)

  25. Corn Jokes Beer corn

  26. Okay, enough of the ‘corny’ jokes. Any questions or comments?

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