Transplant Age and Variety Affects Performance of Transplanted Sweet Corn

Although the overwhelming majority of sweet corn produced in the United States is direct seeded and grown on bare ground, a small portion of farmers are to transplanting sweet corn on plastic mulch.  Primary reasons why growers are transplanting sweet corn include, capitalizing on high early season prices in local retail markets, less insect pressure early in the season reducing the need to employ insecticidal sprays, and enhanced germination of some sweet corn varieties in transplant cells.   However, empirical data suggests that transplant age and days to maturity can significantly affect quality and yields of transplanted corn.  To determine how transplant age and days to maturity can affect yield and quality of sweet corn, six varieties: ‘Frisky,’ ‘Temptation,’ ‘Synergy,’ ‘Montauk,’ ‘Providence’ and ‘Cameo,’ of bi-color sugar enhanced sweet corn with maturity times ranging from 65 to 84 days were grown.  Transplants were grown for 13, 15, 17, 20, 22 and 24 days from seeding. A direct seeded treatment was evaluated as well. This study was performed at two locations: Lexington, KY and Quicksand, KY in the spring of 2009 Treatments were arranged in a completely randomized seven by six factorial design with four replications.  Plants were seeded into 128 cell trays, with two seeds per tray for each transplant time.  At planting, cells containing two plants were transplanted into raised beds of black plastic mulch. Each bed contained two rows of corn with 0.5 m between row and 0.3 m within row spacing.  Beds were formed on 1.8 m centers. This resulted in a population of  71,730 plants∙ha^-1.   Each treatment plot contained 40 plants.            There was a significant variety (days to maturity) by transplant age interaction for yield, ear width and length, stand count (survival), ear height and tassel height.  Yields ranged from zero marketable ears for ’Frisky‘ transplanted at 24 days after seeding to 5545 dozen ears∙ha^-1 for ‘Temptation’ transplanted at 13 days after seeding.  Measurements for ear length and width were generally lowest in the earliest maturing varieties that were the oldest when transplanted.  The results of this study suggest that transplanting sweet corn is affected by both transplant time and variety and that choosing the wrong combination can be detrimental to productivity.