The main reasons for not forming grains on the tip of the corn husk
There are two main reasons why corn husks do not form grains.
The first reason is that most of the varieties of maize that are being grown in our country have low heat tolerance. In other words, excessive temperature or heat does not cause pimples to form on the tip of the skin.
The second reason is that due to the lack of nutrients in the plant such as nitrogen, phosphorus or potash, grains do not form on the tip of the skin.
Let’s take turns trying to understand these two reasons in a little more detail.
The first reason
More heat or higher temperatures as spring corn is the problem. So we keep spring corn in mind.
The fact is that spring corn needs a temperature of 28 to 32 degrees Celsius for its growth.
After germination, when the plant enters its growth stage, the temperature should not exceed 38 degrees.
If the temperature stays below 38 degrees Celsius, the plant will flourish. But as the temperature rises above 38 degrees, there is a risk of affecting plant growth.
After 42 degrees Celsius, the plant’s food production slows down, leading to a significant slowdown in growth.
But when the temperature rises above 45 degrees Celsius, the process of food production in the plant stops, which completely stops the growth of the plant and affects the yield.
At 45 degrees Celsius, the plant suffers from problems such as leaf firing and tassel blast.
In leaf firing, the leaves of the plant begin to dry out. And in the tessel blast, the plant stems dry out and become like paper. That is, the sheet becomes so dry that it feels like paper when touched.
Let us now try to understand the process of formation of pimples on the skin.
It happens that the grains on the skin always start to form from the bottom and then gradually form upwards.
Spring corn germination usually begins in April when the temperature drops below 40 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, the granulation process in maize continues uninterrupted. Even in a month and a half, more than half of the skin is filled with grains.
But as soon as our crop enters the month of May-June, the temperature starts to rise. If during these months, when the pimples are forming on the upper end of the skin, at some point the temperature rises to 45 degrees or 45 degrees.
If it goes up, the process of grain formation in the plant stops due to extreme heat and in some cases 35 or 40 grains cannot form on the tip of the bark
If we speak in semi-scientific language, we would say that due to high temperature, the male and female parts of the plant either die or even if they survive, they will not be able to mate in extremely hot environment.
Thus, due to the mismatch of the male and female parts of the plant, the seed cannot be formed and the ends are left empty.
That is why multinational companies recommend planting spring maize in January or February and do not encourage planting maize in March
This is because crops planted in January or February complete the seed-making process before the temperature reaches 45 degrees, and the variety is successful.
It should be noted that the problem of emptying the tip of the skin occurs in most of the varieties of multinational companies. Varieties produced in Research Institute, Maize, Jowar and Bajra, Yusufwala, Sahiwal such as YH-1898, FH-1046, and FH-949 do not have this problem.
Know the question arises as to why the seeds of multinational companies are exposed to heat.
This is because it is generally said that multinational companies do not produce their seeds in Pakistan but mostly in Thailand or other countries where the temperature is not high.
Therefore, seeds grown at low temperatures cannot withstand high temperatures when sown in hot areas.
However, multinational companies do not agree.
He said that when any variety is intended to be sold in Pakistan, it is tested by cultivating it in different parts of the country before bringing it to the market. And only varieties that meet all kinds of tests are approved for sale.
And only varieties that meet all kinds of tests are approved for sale. He added that the problem was not with varieties but with rising temperatures, which were increasing with each passing year.
This ongoing debate among experts is not a farmer’s problem. The problem for the farmer is that when he harvests his crop, the ends of the husks are often empty, which leads to a significant reduction in yield.
Therefore, multinational companies should come up with varieties that are capable of producing grains even at 48 temperatures.
The second reason
Let’s talk about another reason why grains do not form. In which the lack of nutrients in plants is attributed to the lack of grains on the heads of the husks.
Before talking about this reason, you can see the picture below which clearly shows the extent to which the lack of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash in the plant affects the process of grain formation at the tip of the skin
The general impression among our farmers is that the husk ends are empty due to lack of potash in the soil and they use potash fertilizers on priority basis to deal with this problem.
In an informal survey, most farmers said that the sales officers of multinational companies point out that the reason for the absence of grains on the heads of the husks is the lack of potash fertilizer in the soil.
Farmers’ own observation is that in a field where potash has been used, the problem of non-formation of grains on the heads of the husks is not much.
But there is also a secret to potash deficiency.
In fact, potash fertilizer has the advantage of boosting the plant’s immune system. The higher the resistance of the plant, the better it will be able to withstand the heat.
This means that even here the real reason is the heat-tolerant variety. However, there is a partial solution to this problem in the use of potash.
The advice for the farmer is to complete the planting of spring maize before the end of February.
If he is late for any reason, then he should try to cultivate the seeds of a locally sourced company which has maximum heat tolerance.
If the farmer wants to cultivate multinational seeds instead of late, then make sure that there is no shortage of potash in the field.
Growing locally grown corn around the corn of multinational companies planted in March also reduces the risk of damage.
Research institutes should develop a permanent system of issuing instructions to farmers by testing the heat tolerance of seeds of all the multinational companies in the market so that the farmers can make the right choice of maize seeds.
May Allah bless your crops and sustenance.