Moldy Corn Seeds

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Moldy corn seeds is not so much a disease as a kind of reaction of caryopses to unfavorable conditions. This attack can significantly worsen the condition of the plants. The germination capacity and germination energy of seeds are sharply reduced, as a result of which the seeds become unsuitable for their subsequent sowing. Mold growth is especially active in case of waterlogging of the soil, excess rainfall and prolonged spring. And also its active development is facilitated by insufficient aeration of the soil, its poor-quality processing and poor filling with various organic substances, as well as sowing seeds to great depths in insufficiently warmed up soil

A few words about adversity

Corn seeds can be affected by mold not only while they are in the soil, but also during the ripening period on the cob or at the stage of storage in a threshed form. The main symptoms of a harmful misfortune are considered to be the formation of a dense bloom of bluish, greenish, dirty black, grayish, brown or white on the caryopses. The subsequent spread of the causative agent of infection in corn seeds leads to a slowdown in the growth and development of grain crops. At the same time, some plants do not germinate at all, and the crops often have a rather sparse appearance.

There are three main varieties of corn seed mold: pink, dark, and gray-green. Pink mold most often begins to develop on caryopses affected by linen, and some time later covers the whole cob. Dark mildew is characterized by the formation of dark olive or black mildew, located mainly in the upper parts of the ears. And the most common is gray-green mold, in which the mold has a corresponding gray-green tint.

Mold fungi such as Penicillium, Mucor, Aspergillus, Trichothecium, Cephalosporium, Cladosporium and some others are capable of causing mold in corn seeds. In most cases, these pathogens act in combination. All of them have saprotrophic properties and are activated when the temperatures and high humidity are acceptable for them. Most often, they begin to attack corn kernels already at temperatures from seven to ten degrees. In addition to the fact that these mushrooms use the nutrients found in the caryopsis, they poison the embryos and seedlings of seeds with their toxic secretions. If some of the above fungi are damaged, corn seeds become unsuitable even for use as livestock feed.

Only a significant increase in temperature can save corn from inevitable death - in this case, it will begin to grow much more intensively, which will allow corn to quickly bypass the initial stages of development, which are more susceptible to unfortunate misfortunes.

How to fight

In order to prevent mold growth of corn seeds, it is extremely important to follow the rules for their storage (the premises must be well ventilated and dry), and also try to avoid sowing them too early. The selection of mold-resistant and high-quality hybrids, as well as pre-sowing treatment with fungicides, will be no less expedient measures. A fungicide such as "Maxim XL" is perfect for treatments. It helps well to cope with seed mold and "Pentatiuram".

During the active growth of corn, it is recommended to lightly roll the crops - this will create extremely unfavorable conditions for the development of harmful molds. But these same conditions will largely favor seed germination.

It is necessary to harvest corn from the plots in a timely manner, while bringing the moisture content of the cobs to 16%, and of the grains to 13%.