Corn Pollination

corn ear showing tip back

Weather Impacts to Pollination and Kernel Fill in 2020

August 13, 2020
For this year having what seemed to be good pollination weather, some are surprised regarding how much tip back we’re seeing. It’s important to count kernels long as there may be more kernels than one realizes in spite of tip back occurring.

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Pollen on leaves and silks in spite of heat
Corn pollen on and near silks. For each kernel of grain to be produced, one silk needs to be fertilized by one pollen grain. Photo by Jenny Rees.

How Extended High Heat Disrupts Corn Pollination

July 19, 2019
A lot of factors can affect corn pollination success, including recent and predicted high heat and high humidity. This explains how environmental conditions influence the pollination process and how a cool down later this weekend may be helpful.

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