ABSTRACT


ELIZABETH McKERLIE1, ALEJANDRO VIOLIC M.2, ISMAEL PARKER V.3
 
The results of a date of seeding experiment with the sweet corn variety Golden Bantam and of two variety trials in which 29 sweet hybrids were compared with the varieties Golden Bantam and Choclero Platina are presented.In the date of seeding experiment, five seedings were made between October 4 and December 22. There was a progressive deerease in the number of days necessary to mature the corn as seeding was delayed, the differences between the first four dates being significant. Conversely, the number of degree-hours between seeding and silking and between seeding and harvest increased with delayed seeding. The third seeding date (November 4) produced the highest yield, but was significantly greater than only the first date. The average ear length and ear weight of the first four dates were significantly greater than those of the fifth planting. The number of tillers was fewest in the last two plantings.
In the two variety trials, several of the hybrids, in particular Improved Monarch, Defender and SRX 207 yielded very well and produced large deep-kernelled ears which would be suitable both for the fresh market and for canning. Other outstanding varieties were SRX 201, Iobelle, Jubilee, Target A, Golden Queen, NK 199, NK 1304 and GH 2160. Iogreen 91 and Snowdrift also showed excellent quality, but their white kernels may make them less attractive to the consumer. Golden Beauty 66 and Golden Earlipak, while relatively low yielding, could be important because of their earliness. Although the early varieties required fewer days and degree hours to reach silking than the late varieties, there was considerable variation between this stage and maturity. A correlation coefficient of 0.36 was determined between the number of days in the periods seeding-silking and silking-maturity; the correlation coeficient for the number of degree-hours in these periods was 0.18.
Keywords:
1 B. S. A., M. Sc. Servicio Universitario Canadiense para Ultramar (cuso). Proyecto Maíz, Estación Experimental La Platina, Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias.
2 Ingeniero Agránomo, Ph. D., Proyecto Maíz. Estación Experimental La Platina, Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias. Profesor de Genética Vegetal Aplicada, Universidad de Concepción.
3 Ingeniero Agrónomo. Proyecto Maíz. Estación Experimental La Platina, Instituto de Investigaciones Agropecuarias.