Pioneer® Seeds Products

How does leaf loss impact corn yield?

When a series of trials were conducted to examine the impact of corn leaf removal on yield and stalk quality it was concluded that the entire canopy is important to final yield, even as late as the R5 stage of crop development.

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Growers should proactively protect healthy leaf area through appropriate hybrid selection, followed up with fungicide applications if the risk of foliar disease infestation looks like impacting crop economics.

If enough leaf area is lost before grain physiological maturity, it can lead to solubilisation and remobilisation of the carbohydrates in the stalk. This can result in poor late season stalk integrity, stalk lodging and harvest issues.

Key findings
  • The impact of leaf removal on yield and late season stalk integrity is highly dependent on which leaves on the plant are removed.
  • Yield components of kernel number and ear weight were both affected by loss of leaf area at the R4 and R5 stage of crop development.
  • This study demonstrated the importance of protecting the crop from leaf area loss as late as the R5 stage of crop development.
You'll find the full update in the Pioneer brand seeds resource centre .

 

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