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Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Lawrence F. London, Jr." <london AT metalab.unc.edu>
  • To: market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Organic sweet corn (fwd)
  • Date: Thu, 18 May 2000 22:07:48 -0400 (EDT)



---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 18 May 00 20:49:22 -0500
From: kandmhfarm AT sprintmail.com
To: sanet-mg AT cals.ncsu.edu
Subject: Organic sweet corn

We wish to comment on the discussion about growing organic sweet corn.

Growing top quality, insect free organic sweet corn CAN be done. The
product produced can actually be better than conventional. We grew 70
acres of OCIA certified organic processing sweet corn last year - all SH2
varieties, and grew 25 acres of sweet corn the year before.

Growing organic sweet corn CAN NOT be done successfully using 'organic by
neglect' or 'input substitution' approaches. We plow down large amounts
of green manure cover crop - primarily red clover - and the straw from
the previous year's wheat or spelt crop. Organic soil amendments as
required according to soil test are applied to the cover crop the
previous season. A balanced organic starter fertilizer is applied at
planting. Weed control is accomplished by cultural control methods,
supplemented with blind cultivation and then two passes with the
cultivator. Weed control is excellent. Last year, in a severe
Northeast drought, we saw no insect damage and averaged about 5.2
tons/acre. Much of the conventional sweet corn in the area was
abandoned, due to poor kernel set, low quality and very low yield (are
you paying attention, Mr. Avery? ).

Healthy crops do not appear to attract bugs. Research at Ohio State
University by Dr. Larry Phelan showed that European corn borers, given a
choice between organic and conventional corn plants, would avoid the
organic plants. His research is continuing to test two hypotheses for
these observations. He feels that the organic soils, with a rich
microbial population, may release plant nutrients more evenly over the
season, resulting in slower, sturdier plant growth that is more resistant
to insect attack. He also believes that the mineral balance of the soil
and the plant plays a key role in insect resistance. In either case, the
levels of complex molecules and water content in the plant tissue
probably determines how tasty the plant is to an insect. Our
observations suggest that excessive or unbalanced potassium levels in the
soil attract insects in most crops.

The first year we were talked into a Trichogramma wasp release to control
worms, and the extension agent had to really search for one measly egg
mass that had been parasitized. The wasps must have starved or gone next
door to the conventional field corn that did show egg masses and worms,
right across the fence. We did avoid the highest populations of ear worm
flights by selecting an optimum planting time, based on historical
records, but we're not sure that this was necessary.

The processor of our sweet corn has told us that he has actually received
letters, complimenting the quality of the sweet corn. From our own
experience, there is no doubt there is a difference in flavor. The
drought conventional corn last year lacked both sweetness and corn
flavor, while the organic sweet corn tasted just as it should. This
probably partly is because the higher soil organic matter held water
until the end of the drought. The organic corn showed little damage from
drought stress other than the yield was slightly down compared to a good
year.

In previous years, we had participated in Cornell replicated trials with
the biological seed protectant, T22, on sweet corn. This Trichoderma
fungal product colonizes the root zone of the growing seedling, and in a
wet year, this may give valuable protection to untreated seed. In one
very wet year, we did see a 30% yield increase where this product had
been used as a seed treatment. There is also evidence that T22 can make
nutrients more available to the plant. This product would be worth
considering when planting sweet corn, especially SH2 varieties, early
into wet cold soil.

Hope this information helps someone out there. Klaas and Mary-Howell
Martens






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