Follow These Guidelines To Growing Succulent Sweet Corn ANDY ANDREWS Lancaster Farming Staff HERSHEY (Dauphin Co.) While there are no magic ingre dients to growing the tastiest sweet com, university experts agree on several factors: choose seed wise ly, know your customers, take good care of the soil nitrogen that sweet com demands, and watch the silks. Follow those procedures, and you could be well on the way to sound sweet com production, according to several specialists who spoke last week at the Mid- Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Con vention at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center. While other factors might mea sure up, growers could be over looking some critical stages in their production of com. One chal A Division o>@> GALVINIZED FANS Economical line of galvanized fans are now available in various versions to fit any need or application that you may encounter Direct Drive > High efficiency' PSC" motor Upnght motor mounts for unrestncted airflow * Full variable speed capabilities Belt Drive V/ailable in 36" & 48* sizes ■ High quality sealed 'AVS" designed bearings • Twist link belt for ease of adjustment to keep at top performance LU < 11010104- 36“ Direct Drive Fan $l9O 00 11010098- 36“ Belt Drive Fan $225 00 11010154- 48“ Belt Drive Fan $330 00 Ventilation Shutters Available in aluminum and PVC options and in various sizes 11100011 36” Al $65 11100113 36” PVC $75 11100012 48” Al $125 11100114 48” PVC $l2O (j@|jS) FEED BINS We assemble deliver and set up bins on your farm (where available) • Weather tight die-formed roof • Stronger engineered sidewalls • Ground controlled fill caps * Galvanized roll-formed legs • Engineered leg braced systems • Fast flowing hopper bottom Core Augers and Flex Auger Systems Available a. Hog* Poultry Confracb XT Hours; Mon-Fri 7to 5:30 Sat 7:30 to Noon _ Farmer Boy Ag Systems 2/6/99 410 East Lincoln Avenue, Myerstown, PA 17067 LffT Same Day Shipping 717-866-7565 » 1 -800-845-3374 c 5 ■ ■M 4>« m<t3 lenge often overlooked is the neighbor’s com and field com plots can end up dramatically effecting sweet com. “Depending on what stage your sweet com is in, if there are fresh silks out there, you will tun into real problems from field com,” said Dr. Richard Hassell, veget able extension specialist from Clemson University, South Carolina. By far of all vegetables in the state, sweet com production is the highest. According to the 1997-1998 Statistical Summary published by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, sweet com was number one, at 19,500 acres in 1997 for fresh market and 2,800 acres for processing. Despite some of the best efforts on the part of growers, sometimes The experts, engineers and veterinarians agree • the best building is a naturally ventilated bunding. Herculite curtain systems offer state of the art, adjustable dairy sidewalls Even when closed, the curtains allow for natural light and provide a snug environment for your herd PVC COATED HEX Birdwire Netting Made of the finest high quality 20 ga tensile steel wire mesh Won’t crack or become brittle after years of exposure to sun or cold 18110005 Birdwire 2'xlso' $56 00 18110007 Birdwire 3x150' $B5 00 18110009 Birdwire 4'xl 50' $lO2 00 18110010 Birdwire s'xlso' $126 00 J 8110011 Birdwire 6'xlso' $l4B 00 HEATING PURAFIRE The Purafire heater provides a consistent, clean burning and fuel efficient source of warmth for all types of poultry and swine houses. With near 100% efficiency, it uses less energy to yield greater BTUs for your money. Choose from two models, the CBOM variable output (40,000- C 225 (225,000 BTUH). compatible and can be. your confinement house Electronic ignition. 40-80 BTU #l4OlOlOl Heater $325.0i 225 BTU #l4OlOlO Heater $375.0< ZKSOrTY^FIYtTCMS I AH the com turns out not very sweet, at times far too bland, and loads at auctions get rejected. Growers should beware, according to Hassell, that field com generates a lot of extra pollen. Depending on wind direction and speed, the wind can transport that field com pollen into sweet com plots. And if the com is under drought stress a couple of weeks before silking, the com can suffer in ear quality and sweetness. “Sweetness,” which can be measured, is actually a byproduct of production. If the plant is under stress, sweetness is directly affected. That’s why it’s important to consider fertilization of the plant, according to Hassell. Like field com, the nitrogen available to the plant in the soil can Cows see the life.. HERCULITE Heavy Duty Black-Out Ttinnel, Dairy & Poultry Curtains SUNNE THERMOSTAT Thermostat has sealed molded 4 L plastic case with exposed metal 4 « parts of stainless steel. '--S3 ■ Intended for heating or cooling control. I 23080261 muJ l5-001 $22.00 , Chick Mate ll* ifr'- sj * be measured with the pre-sidedress nitrogen test (PSNT), according to John Howell, University of Massa chusetts, who also spoke at the convention. The PSNT can pro vide a good indicator of how much nitrogen is available to the plant at the critical stage leaf 6. The threshold level of 25 parts per million (ppm) of nitrogen (N) is the cutoff point. If the soil N measures 25 ppm or less, “we recommend sidedressing,” said Howell. “Sidedress from 50-60 pounds of nitrogen per acre.” If growers put on more than the recommended amount after the PSNT, “we almost never see a crop response.” But an overall soil test can also help growers benefit in a big way. Growers need to look at the soil pH—an item “often over looked,” Howell said. For a typical sweet com plant to develop ears, a com acre needs about 55 pounds of nitrogen, 8 pounds of phosphorous, and 30 pounds of potassium. Stalks need about 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre, 12 pounds of phosphorous, and 75 pounds of potassium. To perform the PSNT, at 12 inches of com height, the soil needs to be tested with a probe to 12 inches deep (24 inches of depth would be better), in a place where no fertilizer has been broadcast or banded. Fifteen to 20 subsamples or cores need to be mixed together, similar to a regular soil test In this Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 6, 1999-All case, the sample needs to be com pletely dry before being shipped to the lab. (The dryness is to stop chemical reactions from taking place to break down the nitrogen in the soil). For growers that have little top soil to work with, sampling down to six inches may be all that is needed. At that depth, perhaps a 30-35 ppm cutoff level would be sufficient, Howell noted. For the nitrogen to work, how ever, soil high in organic matter will provide the energy necessary for microbes to break down nitro gen, especially where organic fer tilizer from manures or compost are used. Manure provides about half the nitrogen in soluble, ammo nia form, as long as the material is incorporated right away, the first year. Too much nitrogen at sidedress ing can create environmental prob lems. Howell noted he has seen that a lot of rain in June has leached out nitrogen overapplied at sidedressing. For the next year, the organic nitrogen, in nonsoluable form, will be available the next year for the crops. According to Hassell of Clem son University, cultivar selection plays a big role in crop productivi ty and acceptance. He said that selection “dictates where you’re going to be able to (Turn to Page A 27)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers