Homestead mailing list

["Lynn Wigglesworth" <lynnw1366 AT hotmail.com>]

Bev; some of the heirloom varieties of corn have stalks like tree turnks, 
and are deeply rooted. You could also consider a windbreak...a wattle fence, 
maybe, on the windy side of the garden? I always wanted to build a wattle 
fence, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I'm also planting (slowly as I 
get the $$) a hedgerow of unusual berry bushes (honey berries, service 
berries, next spring I want to add nanking cherries); that would also be a 
good windbreak.

Lynn Wigglesworth

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "EarthNSky" <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>
To: <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Monday, November 10, 2008 9:14 AM
Subject: Re: [Homestead] Corn, was Seed stash


I've been planning my 2009 garden to include planting things that will
provide seed for 2010 and beyond.  In some cases I have a few seeds,
like the Calais corn, and hope to produce enough ears for 2010 seed.
I've been concentrating my study on corn, as Ron has decided he likes
roasted corn now, and it is generally easy to grow.  One problem I have
had, however, is lodging, so I decided to read about corn lodging to
give me some clues as to what might help.  No matter which way I plant
the rows, or whether I plant in hills vs. rows or how much I hill it up,
I have lodging issues, generally caused by storms, which I can't
control.  The thought occurs to me, however, that perhaps I can make the
plants stronger.

I'll give some links as to what I read, but paste the highlights here.
http://www.ca.uky.edu/AGC/NEWS/2000/Sep/lodging.htm
http://www.ces.purdue.edu/extmedia/AY/AY-262.html
http://agron.scijournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/68/2/425
This free abstract states that lack of potassium can cause lodging.  It
may be worth some investigation to spread a few wood ashes in the area
of planting during the winter prior to planting.
http://www.agribusinessweek.com/corn-lodging-problems-are-not-just-caused-by-the-weather/

Starting from the last one, which is very good and is a must read if you
have this problem, too:
During ear development, the plant is pressured to supply great levels of
carbohydrates to the ear. If the demand of the developing kernels
exceeds the supply produced by the leaves, the stalk and root storage
reserves are tapped. In many studies, about 60%-70% of carbohydrates in
the stalk are translocated to other parts of the plant but mainly to the
ear. This process begins approximately two to three weeks following
silking. Extraction of stalk carbohydrates in greater rates can occur
with more environmental stresses just to ensure that grain fill rates
are preserved at the expense of the stalk.

As stalk and root carbohydrates are mobilized to the ear, these organs
begin to collapse and soon lose their defense to soil-borne diseases.
With the warm tropical climate that we have, fungi invade and infect the
plant. It begins with root rots and then the pathogen moves to attack
the stalk. Strictly speaking, although pathogens play a key role in
stalk rot development, it is primarily the inability of the plant to
provide sufficient food to the developing ear that triggers the process.

Fungal growth in the plant’s vascular tissues can restrict water supply
to the plant,_ and as such wilting and premature death of the plant can
happen. Discoloration of the lower stalk becomes more and more evident
as the deterioration from within ‘progresses. At this point, the plant
becomes susceptible to lodging as the structural integrity of the stalk
has been greatly diminished. It is here where high winds can provide the
force to topple the stalks and somehow confirm the problem that has
taken place.


The perdue site covers the same botanical issues as above as well as
some additional stuff:
High Plant Populations
Cause. Plant population levels that are too high decrease the amount of
light in the crop canopy and cause the corn plants to become tall and
thin. The physical strength of the corn stalk under these conditions is
significantly reduced. In addition, plant-to-plant competition for
light, nutrients, and water enhances the competition for carbohydrates
between the stalk and ear within the plant, thus reducing the vigor of
the cells in the stalk and predisposing them to invasion by stalk rot.
Hybrid Susceptibility
Cause. Beware of the so-called "super-yielding" hybrids available in the
marketplace, because these tend to also have very poor stalk strength.
Quite often, weak stalks are a result of the plant cannibalizing and
remobilizing sugars out of the lower stalk to feed the super-yielding ear.

The KY site is less informative, but offers this:
Vincelli and Johnson recommend that farmers check their fields for signs
of lodging. To do that, walk through the field holding your arm at chest
level and push the plants 8 to 10 inches, to see if they bounce back or
not. Johnson said if it has damage, you can hear it -- the stalk snaps
just like when you break a straw.




--
“Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to
hate. Hate leads to suffering.”        Yoda
_______________________________________________
Homestead list and subscription:
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/homestead
Change your homestead list member options:
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/homestead/lynnw1366%40hotmail.com
View the archives at:
https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/homestead