Even though the seminal root system contributes little to the season-long maintenance of the corn plant, early damage to the radicle or lateral seminal roots can stunt initial seedling development and delay emergence. Such damage will not necessarily cause immediate death of the seedling as long as the kernel itself and mesocotyl remain healthy, but may result in delayed emergence or the seedling leafing out underground.
As more and more nodal roots become established over time, damage to the seminal root system will have less and less impact on seedling survival. Symptoms of such root damage include retarded root elongation, brown tissue discoloration, prolific root branching, and outright death of root tissue. If the radicle root is damaged severely during its emergence from the kernel, the entire radicle root may die. Once the radicle has elongated a half-inch or so, damage to the root tip will not necessarily kill the entire root, but rather axillary root meristems may initiate extensive root branching in response to damage to the apical meristem.
The images shown in Fig's. The radicle root was completely destroyed, though the lateral seminal roots were intact and healthy. The coleoptile on this seedling was split down the entire length of its side and would likely result in leafing out underground. The split coleoptile was likely due to the natural continued expansion of the enclosed leaves that would have otherwise emerged normally above ground.
The only visible damage to this delayed emerger was its radicle root whose apical meristem had been injured. The damage was less severe than the previous example and so the seedling was less severely stunted and managed to emerge above ground. The Nodal Root System Nodal roots develop sequentially from individual nodes above the mesocotyl, beginning with the lowermost node in the area of the young seedling known as the "crown".
When the collar of the first leaf first becomes visible, the first set of nodal roots can be identified by a slight swelling at the lowermost node. By late V1, the first set of nodal roots have noticeably begun to elongate Fig's 9 and By leaf stage V2, the first set of nodal roots are clearly visible and the second set of nodal roots may be starting to elongate from the second node of the seedling.
Each set or "whorl" of nodal roots begins to elongate from their respective nodes at about the same timing that each leaf collar emerges from the true whorl of the seedling. This belief is mostly myth with a slight hint of truth mixed in. However, the NODAL root system that develops from the crown of the plant is not influenced much at all by seeding depth. This is because the depth of the crown is fairly constant regardless of seeding depth. During emergence of the seedling, the mesocotyl elongates and elevates the coleoptile and crown towards the soil surface.
Elongation of the stalk tissue begins between leaf stages V4 and V5. Elongation of the internode above the fifth node usually elevates the sixth node above ground. Subsequent elongation of higher-numbered stalk internodes will result in higher and higher placement of the remaining stalk nodes.
These results suggest that, in the late growth stage, the decrease in the stalk mechanical strength is an important reason for the decrease in the critical wind speed of stalk breaking and the increase in the lodging rate.
Crop lodging can lead to the physical collapse of the plant canopy and can happen spontaneously due to mechanical instability of the plant structure, through external forces such as wind, or both. Maize lodging can occur at both the stalk and root.
Maize plants that have not reached full maturity and that exhibit high levels of turgor pressure will often exhibit snapping failures i. In mature maize plants that have stalk lodged this failure pattern involves creasing of the stem near the node line as described in [ 4 ].
Stalk lodging causes greater grain losses than root lodging [ 5 ]. When stalk lodging occurs before maturity, stalk breakage halts grain filling in the entire plant due to the death of the plant above the breakage site, resulting in yield reduction or even the failure of the entire crop [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. In addition to grain loss, lodging during the dehydration period after physiological maturity PM reduces the grain quality and increases harvest costs [ 8 , 9 ].
Our previous study reported that in mechanical grain harvesting, the maize ear loss increased by 0. Additionally, it was found that the mechanical grain harvesting speed decreased exponentially with increasing lodging rate [ 10 ].
The accurate evaluation of the maize lodging resistance in the field can assist in the development of lodging-resistant varieties, the regulation of cultivation measures, and the selection of optimum planting environments. Previous studies on maize stalk lodging focused on aspects of plant morphology, stalk mechanical characteristics, stalk anatomical structure, carbohydrate accumulation and distribution, pests and diseases, planting density, water and fertilizer management, and plant growth regulators [ 11 ].
Studies on stalk morphology have shown that maize plants with long basal internodes have a higher ear position and center of gravity than plants with shorter basal internodes, which increases the risk of lodging [ 12 ]. In contrast, maize plants with short and thick basal internodes display greater stalk-lodging resistance [ 13 ]. Several studies have indicated that the rind penetration strength RPS , crushing strength CS , and bending strength three-point bending flexural tests are all significantly negatively correlated with the stalk lodging rate [ 15 ].
Sekhon et al. Stalk strength is significantly positively correlated with the contents of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin [ 17 ]. Furthermore, corn borers significantly increase the rate of stalk lodging by drilling into stalks [ 18 ], whereas maize stem rot weakens stalk tissue, which greatly increases the risk of stalk lodging [ 19 ].
In additionally, the method of mounting specimens almost always has a significant effect on the measured mechanical response [ 20 ]. Reliable measurements of stalk bending strength can be obtained by maximizing the span length of bending tests and placing the loading anvil at stronger and denser nodal tissues [ 21 ].
There was a different between local and overall compressive moduli of maize stalk [ 22 ]. Moreover, as plant density increases, the length of the basal internode significantly increases and the diameter significantly decreases, the contents of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, and the stalk mechanical strength decrease, and the risk of lodging increases [ 17 ].
Reasonable water and fertilizer management and the application of plant growth regulators can reduce the internode elongation rate, the ratio of length to diameter, the plant height, and the ear height, promote structural carbohydrate accumulation, and increase stalk mechanical strength and lodging resistance [ 23 , 24 ]. However, most of these studies were based on the resistance of the plant itself, and less consideration was given to the impact of the external environment on the plant, such as wind.
Wind is the primary environmental factor responsible for crop stalk lodging. Stalk lodging occurs when plants are subjected to wind forces greater than the maximum force that the stalk can withstand before breaking.
Therefore, the critical wind speed of lodging, which is the synthesized result of wind, leaf area, ear weight, ear height and mechanical properties of main stem internode etc. Mechanical grain harvesting is the developing direction of maize production in China [ 25 ].
In mechanical grain harvesting, maize is generally harvested 2—4 weeks after physiological maturity [ 27 ]. During maize grain dehydration via plant standing in the field after PM, the risk of lodging increases due to stalk senescence or stalk rot [ 28 , 29 ]. Nolte et al. Additionally, Allen et al. In the past, maize harvesting in China was mainly performed by hand and via mechanical ear harvesting, and therefore research on maize lodging has mostly focused on the growth stage before physiological maturity [ 5 , 13 , 17 , 23 , 32 , 33 ].
After PM, the decomposition of stalk carbohydrate and the decrease of stalk moisture content causes the stalk mechanical strength to decrease [ 29 ]. Additionally, at this stage, the leaves senesce and fall off, thus decreasing the windward area and wind force. However, little is known about the critical wind speed of stalk breaking before and after physiological maturity. Based on previous studies [ 34 , 35 , 36 ], this study developed a new type of measurement device to determine maize lodging resistance.
The critical wind speed of stalk breaking, the stalk mechanical strength, and the natural stalk lodging rate were investigated in different maize cultivars in order to identify the parameters as evaluate lodging resistance during the later growth stage of maize. Furthermore, the relationship with the stalk mechanical strength, critical wind speed of stalk breaking, and natural lodging rate in the field were analyzed to clarify the factors affecting the critical wind speed of stalk breaking during the late growth stage of maize.
The results will help crop breeders develop lodging-resistant maize cultivars. The altitude of the study site is 78 m. The soil at 0—20 cm depth had the following characteristics: Precipitation, air temperature, and wind speed were measured automatically by a weather station at the experimental site. The monthly weather conditions during the experiment are shown in Table 1.
A total of 10 maize cultivars with a wide range of growth stages and a wide range of lodging resistance were planted in Based on the results for , four widely planted maize cultivars were planted in Table 2. In both and , the sowing date was 13 June and the planting density was 7.
Each plot contained 10 rows, each with a length of 10 m and a row spacing of 60 cm. All cultivars were arranged in randomized complete blocks. Each cultivar was replicated three times. Plants were irrigated according to the precipitation and water requirements of high-yield maize [ 37 ]. Irrigation was performed when winds were calm. Pesticides were applied as needed to control insect populations. Weeds were periodically removed by hand.
At PM, the plant height measured from the ground to the top of the tassel and ear height measured from the ground to the ear-bearing node of each cultivar were measured for 10 randomly selected plants in four central rows from each plot using a ruler.
Five maize plants were randomly selected from each plot. The critical wind speed of stalk breaking was determined using a self-constructed mobile wind machine. The mobile wind machine was comprised of a supporting structure, an electric turbofan, a frequency converter, a plant-fixing structure, and a digital anemometer Fig. The supporting structure was composed of iron plate and four universal wheels, which made the device move in the field. The electric turbofan was fixed with iron plate using the screws.
The wind speed of the electric turbofan was controlled by the frequency converter Fig. The frequency converter can be set to automatic or manual change. During automatic change, the time from 0 to 50 Hz is 80 s. Meanwhile, for manual change, stepless frequency conversion can be achieved by turning the knob.
The plant fixing structure composed of a torquemeter and a tong, which can be used to fix the basal internode of the maize stalk and measure the torque of maize plant as the wind speed increase Fig. Since the maize plant will be bent by the wind, the height of the outlet should be lower than the height of the plant; therefore, we set the height of the outlet to 1.
The wind speeds from the fan outlets in the horizontal and vertical directions under full load was measured. The results show that, in the horizontal direction, the wind speed decreased with increasing distance from the outlet, while in the vertical direction, the wind speed decreased first and then increased with increasing height above the outlet Fig.
The total weight of the fan, motor, and supporting structure is about 2. Mobile wind machine used in this study. The system included a the supporting structure and electric turbofan, b a frequency converter, c a plant-fixing structure, digital anemometer, and torquemeter.
Between physiological maturity of the grain and the time of harvest, naturally lodged corn stalk revealed three failure modes included snapping, splitting, and creasing.
In this study, before measuring the critical wind speed, the maize plant was fixed at the first internode of the stalk above the soil in order to ensure that the plant was oriented vertically under windless condition. During the measurement, the plant was positioned 40 cm away from the air outlet with the bottom of the plant 30 cm above the bottom of the air outlet to ensure the ear within the range of maximum wind speed Fig.
Stalks that fail in creasing mode typically display either one or two creases, which are oriented perpendicular to the apical-basal axis of the stalk [ 38 ]. In this study, the orientation of wind machine was perpendicular to the leaf groove of each stalk. The wind speed was then increased at a uniform rate until the stalk was broken Fig.
The sensor of anemometer was positioned 40 cm away from the air outlet with cm above the bottom of the air outlet. The critical wind speed of stalk breaking was displayed on the screen of the anemometer. Manual change the wind speed, the wind speed was increased in an interval of 3. Each wind speed level was maintained for a period of 20 s. The value of wind speed and maximum torque were displayed on the screen Fig.
After measuring the critical wind speed of stalk breaking, the RPS, which is the force required to puncture the stalk rind, was determined with a stalk strength tester YYD-1, Zhejiang Top Instrument Co.
A stop bar was attached to the test probe so that the probe would only partially penetrate the stalk. Measurements were made in the middle of the internode at its widest side.
To collect RPS measurements, the stalk was held firmly and the probe was slowly thrust perpendicularly into the stalk until the stop bar touched the stalk. The highest force exerted during penetration was displayed on the screen and recorded. Five additional maize plants were randomly selected from each plot when measuring the critical wind speed of stalk breaking.
For each plant, the breaking force, which is the minimum force required to break the maize stalk, was determined using a stalk strength tester Zhejiang Top Instrument Co. Harvest time may be limited to early morning while the ground is still frozen. It may be necessary to harvest in only one direction and ground speed usually will need to be reduced.
Adjust gathering chains and snapping rolls speed to match combine speed. Also, make other adjustments to the corn head as necessary. If the corn is down it will be necessary to run the head as close to the ground as possible to insure maximum possible yield. S2 Table. The chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, protective enzyme activity and MDA content of maize leaves at different positions.
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