Pencil Cob corn profuse clear goo on roots

[martie]

Frothy foam on corn roots by Abandoned Infidel, on Flickr

3 Pencil Cob corn stalks volunteered in the yard from dropped seed this past year. Though never fertilized or watered it was green and healthy. I detasseled because didn't want it to cross w my sister's sweet corn, It set 2 unpollinated ears apiece except one set 3 ears. I've since found references to nitrogen fixing corn with mucilage/mucigel in the rhizosphere. This substance was clear and sort of slimy/mucilaginous, but frothy with air bubbles.. This grew in Augusta GA. I'm back home in central FL now and plan to grow it this year. Some I will fertilize and some not, and see what happens.

Pencil Cob is my favorite corn so far because it produces well without much input. The husks are so tight it's like they're shrink wrapped, therefore no worm or bug damage. No mold either. It makes delicious cornbread and grits. I'll try some in milk stage this year. It's supposed to be good like that too.

Have any of you noticed this goo on roots of corn you've grown?

[DarJones]

Looks like spittlebug damage to me.

[martie]

Spittle bugs are sure hard to get enthused about but I'm still very enthusiastic about this corn.I couldn't give it the care I should have the year before when I had 50 plants growing in the front yard but it gave me 2 and sometimes 3 decent ears anyway. I only hope it performs somewhere near as well in central FL as it did in Augusta GA. Kind of skeptical since it's nothing but sand here.

[flowerbug]

good luck!

[keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.)]

It's possible it could be nitrogen fixing corn feeding the bacteria. Never seen that form before though, but interesting. Never heard of spittlebugs.