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Growth Patterns of Early Maturing Maize Cultivars
Author(s) -
Stamp P.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
journal of agronomy and crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.095
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1439-037X
pISSN - 0931-2250
DOI - 10.1111/j.1439-037x.1987.tb00618.x
Subject(s) - dry matter , anthesis , biology , cultivar , shoot , dry weight , agronomy , hybrid , horticulture
Growth patterns of two early maturing maize cultivars were analyzed, harvesting shoots twice weekly in 1983. Until the end of leaf expansion the leaf dry matter accumulation was highly synchronized in both hybrids. After a short cessation leaf dry weight accumulation was resumed at low to medium rates during the main part of August, during September losses prevailed. During these two months fluctuations in rates were frequent and synchronisation between genotypes small. For stems no transitory cessation of dry matter accumulation occurred; synchronisation between genotypes and fluctuation in rates were less than observed for leaf dry matter accumulation. Losses in stem dry weight mostly coincided with rapid ear growth. Ear dry weight accumulation steeply increased during the first three weeks of August. Fluctuations in rates were large during the following 30 days of rapid growth. This period ended by a sharp decline in rates. Phosphofructokinase activity of upper leaves was maximum in early July followed by a first minimum shortly before anthesis; thereafter the average activity did not change much. The hybrid with higher initial shoot growth rates had a higher phosphofructokinase activity at the same time.