Corn Growth And Development

By Wade Parker

As corn planting season is in its final stages, the majority of the corn has emerged. Some of our corn has become yellow, which is caused by nutrient leaching, cool air/soil conditions, and in some cases poor root development. At the time of this writing, the temperatures have warmed up, which will bring an improvement to corn conditions.

Each week, I am going to follow a corn field’s growth and development. The physiological stage of growth will be discussed along with management tips that coincide.  This week, our observational field is currently at the VE stage, or vegetative emergence.  The number of days between planting and emergence varies and is primarily related to soil temperature, moisture and seed to soil contact. The plant’s first to five leaves already existed within the seed embryo. The coleoptile tip opens at the soil surface, which allows the leaves to grow upward.

At the VE stage, photosynthesis begins and root development is in full swing. Water requirements are very low.

Corn at the VE Stage.