Moving toward short stature maize: The effect of plant height on maize stalk lodging resistance

Christopher J. Stubbs, Bharath Kunduru, Norbert Bokros, Virginia Verges, Jordan Porter, Douglas D. Cook, Seth DeBolt, Christopher McMahan, Rajandeep S. Sekhon, Daniel J. Robertson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Stalk lodging is the structural failure of crops due to external loading such as wind. Short-stature (i.e., dwarf) varieties of wheat and rice have shown promise in reducing lodging rates. However, similar dwarfing in large gains like maize and sorghum has typically been accompanied by undesirable commercial characteristics, including significantly decreased grain yields. The purpose of this paper is to quantify the relationship between lodging resistance and plant height in maize to better understand the potential impact of short-stature varieties of maize on lodging resistance. Results: Results from both the engineering analysis and the experimental field study indicate a nearly 1:1 relationship between plant height and plant lodging resistance. These data support the validity of the engineering analysis and suggest that there exists a nearly linear relationship between crop lodging incidence and plant height. Conclusions: Plant height has a direct and quantifiable impact on crop lodging resistance as it influences the bending stresses experienced in the plant stem. This study presents the engineering analysis, supported by field experiments, that explains the cause of this nearly linear 1:1 relationship.

Original languageEnglish
Article number109008
JournalField Crops Research
Volume300
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors

Funding

This work was funded in part by the National Science Foundation (Award #1826715 , Award # 2225211 ) and the United States Department of Agriculture—National Institute of Food and Agriculture (Award #2020-10917 ). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the funding bodies. Authors wish to thank Dr. William Bridges for his help in conducting the analysis for partitioning variance for stalk lodging incidence.

FundersFunder number
National Science Foundation (NSF)1826715, 2225211
U.S. Department of Agriculture
National Institute of Food and Agriculture2020-10917

    Keywords

    • Lodging
    • Maize
    • Short Stature
    • Stalk
    • Strength

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Agronomy and Crop Science
    • Soil Science

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