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Martinsville, Ohio | Hmmm, Corn 101, lot's of farmers are asking.
Question 1, how hot is too hot.
Yes, it varies with soil type, tillage, hybrid etc. We measure heat units from 50 to 86 degrees F so anything over 86 is "wasted heat" and starts doing more harm than good so to speak but we all know corn is basically a tropical plant and likes heat, more than we do but not as much as some of you are getting!
I refer you to Modern Corn Production, I gave my copy to my son to teach from. That is about the only thing I can remember that covers most of your questions other than my old college agronomy notes.
http://corn.agronomy.wisc.edu/AAdvice/1997/A016.html
Question 2, how does rain affect growth stages
http://maize.agron.iastate.edu/corngrows.html
Depends on soil type, temperature, hybrid response but about an inch a week. I grew 244 with 20 inches of water over the growing season and 162 with 8 inches last summer, everything else was as identical as I can make it. This is just for comparison to help answer your question.
Most hybrids seem to respond best with 80's in the day and 60's in the night. I have measured my fastest growth at an inch per week on soil with adequate moisture, high of 85 or so and low around 70. That is when we all talk about how fast the corn is growing. It can go from V6 to V8 in a hurry in these conditions. Good luck on the research and again I refer you to Modern Corn Production, some libraries may have it, some ag depts might too.
Look up transpiration and plant respiration for a better understanding on night time effects.
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLR,G...
http://plantfacts.ohio-state.edu/hcs300/pstrans.htm
Here is one on your dessication or death question:
http://www.pubmedcentral.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=396570
Hope that addressess some of your questions and you are not alone in asking them.
Class over for today... | |
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corn and some questions
