Corn Response to Plant Population and Bt Trait: Using Rind Strength and Stalk Potassium to Detect
Lodging Conditions. (3898)
Authors:
T.F. Stanger* - Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison J.G. Lauer - Univ. of Wiconsin-Madison
Abstract:
Corn (Zea mays L.) yields increase with increasing plant population, although stalk lodging is a major deterrent to increasing plant populations much past the currently recommended 74 100 plants ha-1. While much progress has been made in
improving standability, breeding for stalk lodging resistance continues to be
important. In 2002 and 2003, across ten locations in Wisconsin, stalk potassium and stalk rind strength were assessed for Bt and non-Bt corn with plant populations ranging from 61 750 to 123 500 plants ha-1. Stalk potassium was not affected by trait, varied significantly across years, and was found to be positively correlated to plant population. Rind strength, although not affected by trait, was negatively correlated to plant population. Measuring stalk potassium in an environment with adequate soil potassium is not a good indicator of lodging conditions. However, rind strength measurements less than 3.8 load-kg section-1 are a good indicator of stalk lodging potential taken following flowering.
Speaker Information: Trenton Stanger, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, 454 Moore Hall, 1575 Lindon Drive, Madison, WI 53706; Phone: 608 262-7308; E-mail:
Session Information: Monday, November 1, 2004, 8:00 AM-10:00 AM Presentation Start: 8:00 AM (Poster Board Number: 1261)
Keywords: Corn; plant population; stalk lodging; rind strength