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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania » Eastern Regional Research Center » Sustainable Biofuels and Co-products Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #196603
Title: INVESTIGATION INTO GRAIN DRY MATTER LOSS DURING FIELD DRYING OF CORN

Author
item Pordesimo, Lester
item SAXTON, A - DEPT. ANIMAL SCI;U OF TN
item PAUL, L - N.IL.AGRON.RES.CTR.IL
item BELM, R - U.IL EXT.EDWARDSVILLE,IL

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2006
Publication Date: 6/20/2006
Citation: Pordesimo, L.O., Saxton, A.M., Paul, L.E., Belm, R.C. Investigation into grain dry matter loss during field drying of corn. Meeting Abstract. Proceedings Paper #066203

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: In the early 1990s reports were circulating in the U.S. Midwest corn production community that there is significant loss in grain dry matter when corn is left to dry further in the field. While there was also evidence that this does not happen or that such loss is minimal, this became an issue of concern in many crop production meetings (especially during the 1990s.). A search of scientific literature in the intervening years revealed that this issue has yet to be adequately addressed. To investigate the purported drymatter loss during corn drydown in the field, corn planted in the University of Illinois Northern Illinois Agronomy Research Center in Shabbona, Illinois, U.S.A. was monitored over a 51-day period from 20 September 1995 until 9 November 1995. Experimental plots of Pioneer 3489 planted on 6 May 1995, 20 May 1995, and 1 June 1995 and experimental plots of DeKalb 591 planted on 6 May 1995, 16 May 1995, and 31 May 1995 were sampled weekly. Both hybrids had the same relative rate of maturity so they technically would have been at the same maturity stage at each sampling date. Five ears were randomly harvested from each plot on each harvest date, hand shelled, shelled grain mixed, and duplicate 100-g samples dried at 103°C for 72 hr to determine drymatter. Analysis of variance and comparison of least squares means were produced by the Mixed procedure of SAS. Mean separation of the drymatter data confirmed that the last four sampling dates when the corn was already at blacklayer and grain moistures ranged between 20-25% w.b. are indeed a plateau (means were not significantly different). This demonstrates that there is no grain drymatter loss during normal field drydown.