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Response of Corn (Zea mays L.) to Population, Bed Height, and Genotype on Poorly Drained Sandy Soil II. Top Growth and Root Relationships 1
Author(s) -
Norden A. J.
Publication year - 1966
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj1966.00021962005800030016x
Subject(s) - agronomy , dry weight , population , biology , zea mays , hybrid , yield (engineering) , acre , materials science , demography , sociology , metallurgy
Two corn hybrids were grown at 5 plant populations and 4 bed heights in contrasting wet and dry years. A positive curvilinear relationship was observed between plant population and grain yield per acre. On a per plant basis, increasing the population from 5,000 to 25,000 Jams per acre decreased grain yield 73%; while plant height increased 5% and lodging 17%. Bedding increased grain yields in the wet year but not in the dry year. The grain yield response was more closely associated with the dry weight of roots than with the width or depth of the root clump. Plant height was not greatly affected by plant population or bedding and was not closely associated with root development. Increased lodging at the higher plant populations appeared to be largely the result of a reduction in root density without an accompanying reduction in plant height. The dry weight of roots per plant was 29% greater in a dry than in a wet year; however, the grain yield was 40% less. An interaction between genotype, year and bedding was observed in grain yield and plant height.