Corn is an important food crop with a wide range of uses and can create extremely high economic value.
It is highly nutritious, can be used for eating, cooking, livestock as feed, and can be further processed into starch and alcohol.
In recent years, corn-related industries have flourished, the demand for raw grains has been expanding, and the planting area has grown rapidly, which is known as agricultural soft gold.
Although the scale of the industry has increased substantially, the development of planting technology has not been properly matched, especially the problem of corn roots growing that plagues grassroots producers.
This is what is often referred to in academics as corn tillering, which restricts the growth of plants, slows down and wilts, impairs yield and quality, and greatly reduces economic benefits.
Cause of the problem
Corn is a grassaceous herbaceous plant, and tillering is an innate ability, but after continuous domestication and improvement, the tillering ability of most corn varieties has been weakened.
The corn that can be tillered mainly appears on the critical soil surface of the rhizome or slightly shorter than the ground, and the period is concentrated in the seedling stage to the large bell mouth stage, and the tillering at the ear flowering stage has no effect on the yield, so there is no need for control.
Breed selection. There were differences among maize varieties, such as plant height, disease resistance, lodging resistance, maturity and tillering ability.
According to the tillering ability, the varieties with strong apical dominance mainly supply nutrients to the growth of stems and leaves, and the tillering ability is weak, while the varieties with weak apical dominance have sufficient nutrients at the roots and have strong tillering ability.
Cultivation management. For the same variety of maize, due to the different planting management capabilities, the tillering probability is different, and the planting density is set unscientifically, the use of herbicides is unreasonable, and the disease breeds are common.
If the density between plants is too loose, the roots will obtain more nutrients, the herbicide will be sprayed at the seedling stage, and the top growth will be restricted, and the plant will be infected with downy mildew and rough shrinkage disease, and the top growth will be inhibited, and tillering will easily occur.
High temperature and drought. Maize plants are often stressed by high temperature and drought at seedling stage, the temperature continues to rise, the soil moisture evaporation rate in the field is fast, the drought is aggravated, the development of the main stem of the seedling is stunted, the apical dominance is weakened, and the root tillers are increased.
Tillering pros and cons
In view of whether corn tillering can be broken, the views of different planting groups are differentiated, and the planting groups that support non-tillering believe that tillering has incomparable advantages:
Promote water and fertilizer absorption. Tillering can produce a large number of leaves, cover the corn field, avoid long-term sun exposure, water evaporation, and play a role in regulating moisture.
Due to the influence of tillering, the number of roots increases, the coverage area increases, and it can absorb a wider range of water and nutrients.
Improve plant structure. Tillering leads to a wide leaf area, which can promote the development of photosynthesis of maize plants, and the transformation, transportation and use of nutrients are more efficient.
Moreover, tillers can divert nutrients, balance growth, avoid rapid growth at the top, and appear vigorous, thereby making the plant grow short and strong, and enhance the lodging resistance in wind and rain.
Oppose the non-tillering planting group and believe that it hinders the normal growth of plants. The forks of the tillers compete with the normal plants for water, fertilizer and sunlight in the field, and the growth process of the plants is hindered.
Unable to form spikes. The tillering of most plants can not produce rod spikes, the main stem is tasseled, and the tillers will gradually lose green and wither, and this part of the nutrients can be returned.
Even if the plant has spikes, they are only small spikes growing in the top area, and they are also susceptible to pests and diseases, and the economic value can be limited.
Therefore, under normal circumstances, tillering, corn tillering is time-consuming and laborious, and resources are wasted, and the prevention of tillering should be placed in the daily management process.
Only if the resulting tillers are too vigorous, excessive consumption of soil nutrients, water and space, and limit normal plant growth, the tillerers need to be removed.
Preventive measures
The prevention and elimination of corn plant tillering should be combined with the causes of the problem and carry out prevention and control measures, and the principle of prevention and control should be adhered to in the process.
Seed selection and sowing. In the selection of sowing varieties, it is necessary to carefully select high-yielding varieties with poor tillering ability or even no tillering, which can fundamentally avoid the appearance of plant tillering, avoid heavy labor, and reduce labor input.
The sowing time of corn should be appropriately delayed, late sowing can avoid the stimulation of plants in low temperature environment, and the planting density should be reasonably controlled to promote the rational application of light energy.
Watering and fertilizing. At the seedling stage of corn plants, the rainfall is abundant, and it is easy to have rainwater stagnation, so it is necessary to check regularly, dig ditches and ditches, drain the stagnant water, and increase the plant's resistance to stress.
Fertilization should try to apply organic fertilizer, scientific and reasonable top dressing, the amount of top dressing is too high, the fertility is too violent, the plant grows vigorously, it is possible to tiller.
Pest and disease control. Common diseases at the seedling stage of corn plants include cataplexy, blight, gray mold and black root disease, etc., which should be paid attention to prevention, and the diseases should be prevented and controlled in time, and the diseases should not be allowed to spread;
Common insect pests are tigers, mole crickets, snails and aphids, etc., found insect pests, to choose the right insecticide with a wide spectrum of pesticides, pay attention to reasonable control of concentration, appropriate amount of medicine, beware of pesticide damage to plants.
Cultivated and uprooted. If the tillering problem is serious, it is necessary to pull out the tillering, or the yield and quality will decline, and it is necessary to combine the cultivation and manual uprooting.
The uprooting time should be selected after 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on a sunny day, and then cultivate the soil to promote growth, such as the lack of fertilizer in the field, but also appropriate topdressing, to promote the absorption and utilization of plant nutrients, and restore growth.
Finally, it should be said that the tillering problem of the roots of corn plants can be prevented and controlled, and the pros and cons of tillering at the roots should be viewed dialectically.
Instead, it is necessary to decide whether to break the tillering according to the time, situation, and place, depending on the actual situation of the corn plant, and according to the growth, fertilizer and moisture of the plant.