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Published in Crop Sci 12:446-449 (1972)
© 1972 Crop Science Society of America
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Plant Component Yield and Cell Contents of an Adapted and a Tropical Corn, Zea mays L.1

C. C. King, Jr., D. L. Thompson and J. C. Burns2

Ten plant components (leaf, node, rind, pith, cob, grain, husk, shank, tassel, and undeveloped ear shoots) of normal and fruitless ‘Dixie 18’ and ‘Tuxpeno’ corn, Zea mays L., were separated and analyzed for dry matter yield and percent cell contents (PCC). The objective was to determine the site of dry matter and cell contents accumulation. Components were combined into six vertical plant divisions to provide a nutritional profile of the plants. Weight of dry matter and weight of cell contents were greatest at the base and decreased progressively to the top for both normal and fruitless plants (excluding the ear bearing division). Three plant portions contained the bulk of total cell contents per plant: (i) grain -- 51 and 44%, (ii) three divisions below the ear -- 23 and 32%, and (iii) leaf -- 17 and 18% for normal Dixie 18 and normal Tuxpeno, respectively. Fruitless Dixie 18 plants produced 69% as much cell contents as the normal, and fruitless Tuxpeno 84% of the normal. Normal Tuxpeno produced significantly more dry matter than normal Dixie 18; however, total cell contents did not differ significantly. The data indicate that fruitless plants compensate partially for the absence of grain. The three divisions below the ear contained 23 and 32% of the cell contents of normal Dixie 18 and normal Tuxpeno, respectively; consequently, leaving a high stubble when harvesting silage causes loss of nutrients. Tuxpeno would be satisfactory for certain feeding situations but cultural hazards may limit its use.

Key Words: Silage • Nutrition • Neutral detergent solubles

1 Contribution from the Department of Agronomy and Soils, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama; Plant Science Research Division, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture; and the Crop Science Department, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina. Published with the approval of the Director of Auburn University Agricultural Experiment Station and with the approval of the Director of Research as paper number 3449 of the Journal Series of the North Carolina State University Agricultural Experiment Station, Raleigh, North Carolina. This paper consists of a portion of a thesis submitted by the senior author in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree conferred by North Carolina State University at Raleigh, June 1968. A portion of the computations was accomplished by a facility supported in part by the National Institutes of Health Grant No. FR-0011.

2 Associate Professor, Department of Agronomy and Soils, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 36830; Research Agronomist; and Plant Physiologist, Plant Science Research Division, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607, respectively.

Received for publication September 24, 1971.




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