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Submitted to: Crop Pest Management Workshop Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 11/20/1996 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Water is the primary limiting factor in corn and soybean production. Despite continued selection for improved drought tolerance, grain yield in these important crops remain highly vulnerable to dry conditions during floral development and early seed growth. In both crops, drought during flowering decreases seed number per unit area. In corn, low seed numbers result primarily from a delay in silk emergence relative to pollen shed and an increase in seed abortion. In soybeans, drought increases pod abortion. Sensitivity to drought decreases as the seeds mature. In both crops, drought during seed filling shortens the duration of seed filling. In corn, the shorter filling period is caused by premature water loss from the seed. In soybeans, it results from a decrease in maximum seed volume. Selecting corn hybrids with rapid ear growth, tolerance to high population densities, or which are prolific can improve performance under drought conditions. Currently, there are no such selection criteria for soybean. Managing both crops to conserve water prior to flowering by decreasing plant population and planting in wide (30 in) rows will improve yield stability across environments. Irrigating corn prior to silk emergence and soybeans during pod expansion will return the greatest yield per unit water applied. |
