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Corn Morphology, Mass, and Grain Yield as Affected by Early‐Season Red: Far‐Red Light Environments
Author(s) -
Markham Melinda Y.,
Stoltenberg David E.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci2008.10.0614
Subject(s) - biology , tiller (botany) , shading , canopy , meristem , agronomy , axillary bud , zea mays , growing season , sowing , productivity , poaceae , horticulture , zoology , botany , shoot , macroeconomics , economics , in vitro , visual arts , art , explant culture , biochemistry
The spatial arrangement among plants affects both vegetative and reproductive meristem development. More axillary meristems develop at lower plant densities, which are associated with relatively high red:far‐red light ratios (R:FRs; 645:735 nm). However, little is known about the effect of R:FR on corn ( Zea mays L.) productivity. We conducted field research to determine the effect of early‐season (VE–V7 corn) R:FR environments on corn morphology and productivity. Low, control, and high R:FR treatments were established by varying corn plant density (107,600, 53,800, and 3000 plants ha −1 , respectively). At canopy closure (V7 corn), R:FR in the low, control, and high R:FR treatments was 0.23, 0.49, and 0.99, respectively. Each treatment was subsequently thinned to 3000 plants ha −1 to avoid confounding effects of R:FR treatments and shading among plants. Grain yield per plant in the high R:FR treatment was 1.5 and 2.0 times greater than in control and low R:FR treatments, respectively, across years. Greater yield in the high R:FR treatment was attributed to greater tiller grain yield. Soil moisture and nutrient availability were similar among R:FR treatments. These results indicate that early‐season R:FR was an important factor affecting corn productivity. Greater understanding of the R:FR‐dependent pathway that controls axillary meristem development may provide direction for increasing productivity of elite nonprolific corn genotypes.