Year: 1998
Type: article
Abstract: The performance of two sweet corn (Zea mays var. saccharata) cultivars grown in the Rio Grande Valley in Spring 1997 were evaluated under three tillage practices. On 25 Apr. 1997, `Champ' and `Sensor' seeds were sown on 0.76-m row centers of 4.6 x 91-m (12 x 300-ft) plots which had been in continuous conventional (CT), minimum tillage (MT), and/or no tillage (NT) since Aug. 1994. All production inputs were similar except tillage practice. Ears were harvested beginning 16 Jun 1997. Cultivars differed in leaf greenness, plant stand ( P < 0.11), ear diameter, length, and dry matter, percentage of total yield at first harvest, season yield, and ears/ha. `Sensor' ears had higher concentrations (dry-mass basis) of total N, K, S, NO 3 , and B, but lower concentrations of Mg ( P < 0.06), Ca, Fe, and Mn than did `Champ'. Amaranthus spp. weed populations were higher in `Champ' then in `Sensor' tillage treatments. MT and CT resulted in greater ear attributes, yield, ears/ha, and less corn earworm damage, lower ear S concentrations, and fewer total weeds/ha than corn grown with NT. Plant stand was highest in CT plots. Weed populations of Panicum and Amaranthus spp., but not Texas tridens [ Tridens texanus (S. Wats.) Nash] or common purslane ( Portulaca oleracea L.), were higher in NT-grown corn than MT- or CT-grown corn.
Source: HortScience
Author: D.J. Makus
Language: English
Subfield: Agronomy and Crop Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W1877196498