|
Post by DarJones on Oct 22, 2011 23:21:40 GMT -5
I sometimes start corn in cell trays with 2 seeds per cell and then transplant at 1 to 2 inches tall. This is a highly effective method with difficult to germinate varieties such as sh2's early in the season.
DarJones
|
|
|
Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Oct 22, 2011 23:45:01 GMT -5
Producing pure seed around here is a tricky proposition - if next year is "corn" in the surrounding fields, only way I can beat it is by getting my corn out very early. That means planting sprouted seeds, and I don't know if supersweets will tolerate cool conditions - even as young plants. Since you are growing supersweet corn (sh2) it is not a problem at all if the neighboring farms are growing standard commercial dent corn. Doesn't even matter if it is GMO dent corn. It will be obvious which seeds were pollinated by the dent corn and which are sweet corn. You just sort them after you harvest the cob. It also doesn't matter if your neighbors are growing standard sweet corn, or sugary enhanced sweet corn: If your corn is a normal sh2 sweet corn those genes will also cause it to have some starchy kernels that can easily be eliminated. The only case the foreign genes could go undetected for a white supersweet is if your neighboring farms are also growing supersweet corn or synergistic corn with white kernels: Then you wouldn't be able to tell where the pollen came from. In that case, I'd think it wouldn't matter if some small percentage of pollen came in from afar. It would increase the genetic diversity of your "open pollinated" population, and you could always select for your desired phenotype (fat cobs). You are not going to import cytoplasmic male sterility from the farmer's field. Since white is the most recessive of all colors, it's easy to eliminate incoming pollen that changes the seed's color, even if the neighbors are planting synergistic or supersweets. If we can easily detect and eliminate undesired phenotypes then I don't see foreign pollen as a problem. To me the term "open pollinated" at least implies the possibility that pollen could be coming in from other fields, and the idea of a "pure" open pollinated variety causes distressful mental dissonance to me. Did you notice in the Johnny's Select article on supersweets that they only recommend a separation distance of 100 feet from acres of other types of corn? If you still have the original seed you might try to germinate it to grow alongside your fresh seed. (I'd try indoors in a plastic bag with anti-microbial treatment.) You can use the fresh seed for testing your methods. Chlorinated tap water has decent antimicrobial properties.
|
|
|
Post by Joseph Lofthouse on Oct 22, 2011 23:58:39 GMT -5
DarJones: Can you recommend how long it takes corn planted in cell trays to develop to a good transplanting stage?
|
|
|
Post by DarJones on Oct 23, 2011 2:09:12 GMT -5
Joseph, it is temperature dependent. If you put the seed in a very warm greenhouse at 90 degrees it will germinate in 3 days and be ready to set out in 7 to 10 days. Keep it in your house at 72 degrees and it will take 14 days.
While I agree with your overall intent to develop a cold soil tolerant se+ variety, that is probably not possible to do with super sweets because the super sweets inherently do not have the starch reserves. Also, the pericarp/caryopsis of supersweets tends be easily damaged because of the extreme crinkling as it dries down. This makes the seed extremely susceptible to invasion by soil molds and fungi.
Please note that I said transplant at 1 to 2 inches tall. Don't let corn get any taller because it is extremely sensitive to damage to the primary root. If you look very closely at a germinating corn kernel, you will see that one single primary root forms very early. If you do anything that mucks up this primary root, the entire plant will be severely delayed. I recommend transplanting corn when soil moisture is very high or when rain is expected, otherwise, you must water the plants as you transplant.
DarJones
|
|
|
Post by zachary on Oct 23, 2011 23:08:11 GMT -5
Joseph, that I find your remarks to be both fascinating and informative illustrates how I'm greener than grass on the subject of corn seed production. Ok, next year I'm going to put out a small plot of my white corn. I'll attempt to germinate the remaining cup of old seed in the oven using the light bulb as a heat source. I'll use a germicide mixed with the soil and water to neutralize any fungus as much as possible. If any of the old seed germinates, I'll plant it along with plants from the 2011 crop. That I can visually sort out the 2012 seed crop to maintain my line is simply great news. So far as I know, nobody around here within 1/8 of a mile has a vegetable garden, so that'll take care of most of the white pollination issue. All the farmers have ever planted in years past are hundreds of acres of yellow seeded types, so any resultant crosses ought to be easy to cull out. Thank you!! fusionpower, in the past I've had good luck transplanting seedlings which the books say are nearly impossible by setting them into a puddle of very fluid mud. Just prepare the depth of the mud puddle to be the size of the root system. Whether necessary or not, I like to spread a thick layer of fine dry dirt on top of the muck -- it seems to help keep harmful cracks from forming as everything dries out. And yes, I actually use an old flour sifter to get the dirt for this last operation.
|
|