Agronomic responses of corn to stand reducation at vegetative growth stages

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2010-12-01
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Coulter, Jeffrey
Nafziger, Emerson
Abendroth, Lori
Thomison, Peter
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Proceedings of the Integrated Crop Management Conference
Iowa State University Conferences and Symposia

The Iowa State University Integrated Crop Management Conference is Iowa's premier crop production education event. No other program in Iowa brings together the diverse range of topics, slate of expert presenters and results of the latest University research.

The ICM Conference offers workshops focusing on the latest in crop production technology. Experts from Iowa and surrounding states will provide research updates and results in soil fertility, soil and water management, crop production and pest management.

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Abstract

Yield loss charts for hail associated with stand reduction assume that remaining plants lose the ability to compensate for lost plants by mid-vegetative growth. Yield losses and stand losses after V8 – leaf collar system – and throughout the remaining vegetative stages are 1:1 according to the current standards.

We conducted field experiments from 2006 to 2009 at twelve site-years in Illinois, Iowa, and Ohio to determine responses of corn to stand reduction at the fifth, eighth, eleventh, and fifteenth leaf collar stages (V5, V8, V11, and V15, respectively). We also wanted to know whether these responses varied between uniform and random patterns of stand reduction with differences in within-row interplant spacing.

When compared to a control of 36,000 plants per acre, grain yield decreased linearly as stand reduction increased from 16.7 to 50% (Table 3), but was not affected by the pattern of stand reduction. This rate of yield loss was greatest when stand reduction occurred at V11 or V15, and least when it occurred at V5. With 50% stand loss, yield was 83 and 69% of the control when stand loss occurred at V5 and V15, respectively. With 16.7% stand loss at V5, V8, or V11, yield averaged 96% of the control. Per-plant grain yield increased when stand loss occurred earlier and was more severe. With 50% stand loss at V11 or V15, per-plant grain yield increased by 37 to 46% compared to the control. Corn retains the ability to compensate for lost plants through the late vegetative stages, indicating that current standards for assessing the effect of stand loss in corn should be reevaluated.

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