Yield and quality of strip-till sweet corn hybrids.
(C03-gallaher886874-poster)
Authors:
R.N. Gallaher* - University of Florida
Abstract:
Sweet corn (Zea mays L.) is a multimillion-dollar crop. The objective of this study was to determine fresh ear yield and quality effects from tillage treatments on five popular sweet corn varieties. This 2-year study was conducted at the Plant Science Research and Education Unit, Citra, FL in
2001-2002. Main effects were conventional till versus no-till planting into a winter crop of rye (Secale cereale L.), converted to mulch by use of contact herbicides. Sub treatments were sweet corn hybrids as follows: ‘Silver Queen’, ‘Golden Queen’, ‘Merritt’, ‘Florida Stay Sweet’, and ‘Peaches and Cream’. Both tillage treatments were planted using a Brown-Harden strip-till planter, in four-row plots 3.64 m wide and 10.67 m long. Appropriate weed control, insect management, overhead irrigation and extension fertilizer recommendations were used. No differences between tillage treatments were found for any variable. For all yield data, interactions occurred between years and hybrids. Total fresh ear yield in 2001 ranged from a high of 17,490 kg ha-1 for Silver Queen to a low of 11,070 kg ha-1 for Peaches and Cream. Generally, total ear yield the second year was greater than the first year. No-till sweet corn was not only equal to conventional till but also offers a conservation and cost effective benefit option to our producers.
Speaker Information: Raymond Gallaher, University of Florida, Agronomy Department PO Box 110730, Gainesville, FL 32611; Phone: 352-392-2325; E-mail: [email protected]
Session Information: Monday, November 3, 2003, 4:00 PM-6:00 PM Presentation Start: 4:00 PM (Poster Board Number: 535)
Keywords: conservation tillage; no-till; double cropping; fancy ears
