Details of the upper ear shoot and ear development are outlined in figures 26 and 27. Notice that silks from the basal ear ovules are first and silks from the ear tip ovules are last to elongate. The illustrations represent about eight to nine days of reproductive organ development.

Brace roots (also termed aerial nodal roots, figure 31) are now growing from the nodes above the soil surface. They help support the plant and scavenge the upper soil layers for water and nutrients during the reproductive stages.  

Management Guides - V18 Stage

The corn plant is now about one week away from silking, and ear development is continuing rapidly.

Stress during this time delays ear and ovule development more than tassel development. Delayed ear development will cause a lag between beginning pollen shed and beginning silk. If the stress is severe enough, it may delay silking until after pollen shed is partially or mostly through. The ovules that silk after pollen shed is finished will not be fertilized and will not contribute to yield.

Non-prolific (strongly single-eared) hybrids will gradually produce lower yields with increasing stress exposure, but may tend to yield higher than prolific hybrids unclear non-stress conditions. Prolific hybrids produce fairly stable yields under variable stress conditions (except under severe stress) because ear development is less inhibited by stress.

figure 24

figure 25

figure 26

figure 27

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