large Sweet corn - one of the favorite foods of almost every person, a kind of pleasant memories from my childhood, especially at the beginning of the growing season of summer.Popular plant, a native of America, in ancient times, cultivated by the ancient Mayans and Aztecs.
Corn - slim queen fields
an industrial scale, this crop is grown mainly for fodder purposes, however worthy it found its niche in many cottage and garden plots where corn varieties are represented in all its diversity.And home growing significantly "civilize" tall beauty, depriving it of the ability of self-seeding and growing in his former, wild state.Now, this culture is monoecious, has separate inflorescences and cross-pollinated.Some gardeners used artificial doopylenie - for this they tear ears on the top of the stem (male flowers), and shake them over the ears of flowering (flowers of the female type).
Description and external characteristics
root system of almost every variety of corn is powerful enough and goes underground to a depth of about 1.5 meters.Along the way, there is additional education in the stem (support) roots, causing a dense consolidation of plants in the soil and promotes optimal absorption and retention of water and minerals.
erect stems of plants can reach 6 meters in height (depending on the variety of maize).Male inflorescences are at the top of the stem of brooms and women hidden in the leaf axils.The weight of such a complex spike, which is corn on the cob, is from 35 to 500 grams.
All existing varieties of corn for grain structure and direction of use are divided into several basic types.Below are the main ones sectional varieties.
varieties of sweet corn
Sweet corn - the most popular and beloved, especially during its milky-wax ripeness;delicious ingredient in many salads, is the basis of a plurality of high-bred hybrids.Upon reaching full maturity corn accumulate a considerable amount of sugar.The surface grain wrinkled, they themselves are in a cut - glassy.Sweet corn is successfully used in the canning industry.
most demanded and popular varieties of sweet corn - a nectar Ice, Early Gold 401, Spirit, Gourmand 121, Dobrinja, Sundance.
Spirit
is a new hybrid and a brilliant representative of maize sugar;suitable for almost all regions of Russia.It is characterized by grains of bright yellow color are collected in the ears of sizes up to 20 cm. The taste is soft sweet (because of the high sugar content in grains), the pulp is juicy enough.The plant has a 2-meter height.When growing seedlings of such varieties and planting in open ground in late May corn Spirit will appreciate high-quality harvest after 2 months.
Dobrynia
hybrid, characterized by early ripening.Planting is done in May, after 70 days, you can collect the ripe ears.It has a sweet taste and impressive size ears.Plant height is about 170 cm, the formation of the ears occurs, starting from a height of 70 cm. Excellent for eating fresh, freezing, canning.It grows on any ground and has good resistance to disease.
Gourmand 121
variety is characterized by high yields and resistance to various diseases.The vegetation period is 70-75 days.Plant height - 1.5 meters.The length of the cob - up to 20 cm. In the phase of maturity cob breast Gourmand 121 varieties of delicious boiled, it is also used for freezing and canning.
Ice nectar
late-ripening varieties, characterized by excellent taste and good yield.Among others is the most sweet.Corn on the cob can reach lengths of 22 cm, which is indicative of their large size.
Sundance
has a slightly elongated yellow grains are excellent for canning and fresh consumption.In every bush, low growth, is formed by two ear up to 20 cm in diameter and 5 cm. This variety is sown in late May and ripens for 70-95 days.
Early Gold 401
This variety is a short, the vegetation period - about 90 days.High resistance to disease.High resistance to drought.Weight cob - up to 190 grams.Corn yellow with good taste characteristics.
dent corn: description and grade
cobs characterized by large, strong stems, high yield and good yield of silage.In America, it is the main type of corn growing in the industrial scale and is used in animal feed for the purpose.Its grain is shaped like a tooth, and at the top have a recess formed during the maturation.Plants do not usually bushes, grain contains up to 75% of starch and is used to produce alcohol, flour and cereals.
outstanding representatives of teeth-like maize varieties are Odessa 10 and Sterling.
Odessa 10
late-ripening varieties, giving a significant yield of green mass and low - grain.Most often it is grown for silage.
Sterling
of medium-high-yielding varieties released in almost all areas of cultivation of corn.
flint corn: characterization of varieties
has a powerful smooth grain (without hollows, top round) white or yellow, which consists almost entirely of starch.This type is the basis for the production of corn sticks and flakes and is the most common on the planet.Crossing this subspecies corn dent led to poluzubovidnoy corn.
are the most common varieties of corn such as the Voronezh 80, Voronezh 76 Severodakotskaya.
Voronezh 80
Early hybrid, ripening which takes 70 days.Prized for simplicity of maintenance and a high sugar content.Dimensions ears - from 20 to 25 cm plant height - 170 cm. It is used in canning.The seeds for planting next year can not be used.Zoned in the Sakhalin region and the northern regions of Siberia.
Voronezh 76
ripening varieties.It ripens virtually all regions of the Central Black Earth strip.
Severodakotskaya
Medium early variety.Planted in the southern and south-eastern regions of Russia.
burst corn: popkornovy grade
Recognized by the description of maize varieties of this type is similar: the grain smooth and shiny, burst when heated.It is this kind of became the basis for the emergence of the beloved popcorn.The plant characterized by good tillering, a large number of ears, the large number of leaves.The best varieties of corn for popcorn - a Vulcan, Oerlikon Dnieper 925.
Volcano
characterized by excellent taste qualities of roasted grain and its highest percentage increase.Variety of corn for popcorn is mid drought-resistant, high-yield, plant height - up to 220 cm. The length of the cob - about 22 cm. It is grown in the forest steppe and steppe regions.
Oerlikon
Middle-Class is characterized by excellent taste and pleasant aroma.It is used for making popcorn, corn flakes and sticks.
Other maize
- waxy maize. Seeds of varieties of the subspecies are characterized by smooth and matte skin.In terms of grain structure reminiscent of wax.This type, varietal diversity which is rather limited, very popular in China.
- Starchy corn .One of the oldest on the planet.The most common in the south of North America and South America.Varieties of corn (photo plants can often be seen in the many specialized resources) are characterized by late ripening.Plants of medium height, have a lot of leaves, medium and strong tillering.Corn round, matt, smooth, has a convex top.The starch content - up to 80%.
- hulled corn. In this type of industry is not used due to the complexity of processing, because the individual wrappers covered not only the ear, but each grain.
- Ostrozernaya (the proboscis) corn .There is no particular value, and therefore not widespread.
Fashionable novelty - Hopi corn
This variety of corn is different from the others and has its own flavor - unusual, unusual black and purple grains, caused by the presence of a particular enzyme.It is grown mainly in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.The taste - sweet and delicate, with a pronounced nutty flavor.Such a variety was found in the Hopi Indian tribes that formed the basis of its name.We can assume that this is a very ancient plant species, which has been supplanted all the usual bright yellow or orange corn.This "purple" variety, having a plurality of distinct color varieties, take a worthy niche in the consumer market and is widely used in cosmetics, in the manufacture of mixtures and corn chips blue.On the basis of blue grains cook popular alcoholic drink "Chicha Morado."Hopi Corn has many varieties, whose color range is quite wide: from light gray to almost black.In one ear can be combined several colors, making these decorative corn varieties.
Forage maize
To feed corn varieties, cultivation goal of which is to obtain a significant amount of silage for feeding livestock, include such varieties as Cuban early maturing hybrid, Aurica, Viola, Saratov sugar, Golden Fleece, Pearl.Corn fodder varieties which are characterized by a high degree of foliage is also used to produce high-quality grain.
Rules landing
desirable Corn planted in full sun;it picky to the choice of soil, but prefers light and well-warmed earth.Predecessors of tall crops can be legumes, winter, row crops and spring wheat.Also, it can be planted after the tomatoes, root vegetables and melons.
huge role for the rich and high-yield plays fertility of the soil, so be sure you want to spend feeding (organic and mineral).In the autumn digging in the ground, you can add rotted manure and phosphorus-potassium fertilizer.In the spring before planting land previously leveled with a rake (to remove surface crusts and clods breakdown).
corn planting should be carried out into the soil to warm up to 12 ° C, this is about the end of April;Seeds are buried to a depth of about 7 cm. On the eve of the landing, about a day is recommended to add nitrogen fertilizer (10 m2 - 200 grams) and proryhlit the ground to a depth of 10 cm.
acceleration of seed germination, you can provide them with preliminary soaking in warm water.For this purpose they should be placed in a gauze bag, which is 4 days put in a sunny place, and then placed in a solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes.Then, the seeds should be washed, placed in a container and put in a warm place.After 3-4 days, there will be small roots, it was then that the seeds can be planted in open ground.In the field, the first shoots will delight about the 12th day.
many amateur gardeners to produce crops in a short time ready seedlings planted corn, whose age at landing is usually 30 days.
crops of corn required to produce rows, the distance between rows of 60 cm between plants - 40 cm. The seeds are planted at a depth of 3-4 cm in the well-watered hole.From emerging seedlings, which may be a few (as in the well lies a few seeds for the purpose of the guaranteed germination), should remain the strongest plant, need to get rid of the rest.
When planting corn can use conveyor method, there are plants with different ripening plant with an interval of 15 days.This will ensure a continuous harvest throughout the summer.
plant nutrition
fertilizing corn should be carried out in the presence of the plant has six leaves.During this period you can make compost, humus, mullein, chicken manure.In addition to the organic aisle introduced in liquid form ammonium nitrate, superphosphate and potash fertilizers.
shortage of micronutrients required by the plant can be determined by the appearance of corn.With short and pale leaves there is a lack of nitrogen;If in the early stages of plant growth he observed slow growth, and the edges of the leaves become purple - so culture is not enough phosphorus.Abnormal corrugated sheets and changing their color (from pale to dark brown) show potassium deficiency.
Features care
After planting maize growth while slow, so you need to carry out weeding and loosening (about 3 times during the growing season) in order to enrich the soil of oxygen and removal of the upper crust of the land.Intensive growth of corn begins after the appearance of the eighth sheet;in this period, daily gain may be 5-6 cm. In the formation of maize lateral shoots - stepsons - the last to be cut short so that they do not interfere with the development of young cobs and plant growth.The reasons for the formation of undesired side shoots can be low temperatures in the early stages of vegetation, introduction of excessive amounts of fertilizers and sparse crops.
Watering corn, infrequent and plentiful (the water must penetrate to a depth of 10-15 cm), is required to perform during the bookmark and maturation of young ears.
