Abstract
Abstract Prior investigations have reported the effect of leaf removal at various stages of development on yield of corn ( Zea mays L.), but none have studied the pattern of grain dry matter accumulation. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the effect of leaf loss on dry matter accumulation patterns of corn grain and grain yields. Defoliation was begun 10 days after 50% silking and continued at 10‐day intervals for the next 40 days. Leaf removal treatments consisted of removing 1) no leaves (control), 2) all leaves below the ear, 3) all leaves above the ear, and 4) all leaves. Dry matter accumulation was monitored by sampling ears at 5‐day intervals from 50% silking to black layer formation. Regardless of severity, defoliation within 30 days after silking significantly reduced total accumulated dry matter. Complete defoliation was more detrimental (6.4 to 82% yield loss) than partial defoliation (1.5 to 32.7% yield loss). These losses varied with time (after 50% silking) of treatment application. The effect of removing all leaves above the ear was not significantly different from that obtained by removing all leaves below the ear. Yield component affected most by leaf loss, for the overall treatment period, was kernel weight (12.7 to 53% decrease). However, number of kernels was greatly reduced (62.3%) when all leaves were removed 10 days after silking. Complete leaf removal thereafter and partial leaf removal affected number of kernels considerably less (approximate decline, 20%). This study showed that severe leaf loss at the onset of silking and until at least 10 days after 50% silking decreased grain yields because of fewer kernels. However, yield decreases associated with less severe leaf loss or loss 20 days or more after 50% silking were largely related to a decline in kernel weight. In addition to providing a better understanding of patterns of dry matter accumulation, these data may be useful to individuals required to estimate grain yield after a significant loss, to natural causes, in plant leaf area.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Defoliation within 30 days after silking significantly reduced total accumulated dry matter of maize compared with no leaf removal.
- Treatment
- defoliation within 30 days after silkinge1
- Outcome
- total accumulated dry mattere1
- Direction
- reducede1
- Comparator
- no leaves (control)e2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“yield of corn ( Zea mays L.)”
e1“Regardless of severity, defoliation within 30 days after silking significantly reduced total accumulated dry matter”
e2“removing 1) no leaves (control)”
Claim · model-written summary
Complete defoliation reduced maize yield by 6.4 to 82%, more than partial defoliation.
- Treatment
- Complete defoliatione1
- Outcome
- yield losse1
- Direction
- more detrimentale1
- Value
- 6.4 to 82%e1
- Comparator
- partial defoliatione1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“yield of corn ( Zea mays L.)”
e1“Complete defoliation was more detrimental (6.4 to 82% yield loss) than partial defoliation (1.5 to 32.7% yield loss)”
Claim · model-written summary
Partial defoliation decreased maize yield by 1.5 to 32.7%.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“yield of corn ( Zea mays L.)”
e1“Complete defoliation was more detrimental (6.4 to 82% yield loss) than partial defoliation (1.5 to 32.7% yield loss)”
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf loss decreased maize kernel weight by 12.7 to 53%, the yield component most affected.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“yield of corn ( Zea mays L.)”
e1“Yield component affected most by leaf loss, for the overall treatment period, was kernel weight (12.7 to 53% decrease)”
Claim · model-written summary
Severe leaf loss from silking to at least 10 days after 50% silking decreased maize grain yields because of fewer kernels.
- Treatment
- severe leaf loss at the onset of silking and until at least 10 days after 50% silkinge1
- Outcome
- grain yieldse1
- Direction
- decreasede1
- Qualifier
- fewer kernelse1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“yield of corn ( Zea mays L.)”
e1“severe leaf loss at the onset of silking and until at least 10 days after 50% silking decreased grain yields because of fewer kernels”
Claim · model-written summary
Removing all leaves 10 days after silking greatly reduced the number of kernels by 62.3%.
- Treatment
- all leaves were removed 10 days after silkinge1
- Outcome
- number of kernelse1
- Direction
- greatly reducede1
- Value
- 62.3%e1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“yield of corn ( Zea mays L.)”
e1“number of kernels was greatly reduced (62.3%) when all leaves were removed 10 days after silking”
Claim · model-written summary
Complete and partial leaf removal after silking affected kernel number considerably less, with an approximate decline of 20%.
- Treatment
- Complete leaf removal thereafter and partial leaf removale1
- Outcome
- number of kernelse1
- Direction
- considerably lesse1
- Value
- 20%e1
- Qualifier
- approximate declinee1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“yield of corn ( Zea mays L.)”
e1“Complete leaf removal thereafter and partial leaf removal affected number of kernels considerably less (approximate decline, 20%)”
Claim · model-written summary
Yield decreases associated with less severe leaf loss or with loss 20 days or more after 50% silking were largely related to a decline in kernel weight.
- Treatment
- less severe leaf loss or loss 20 days or more after 50% silkinge1
- Outcome
- kernel weighte1
- Direction
- declinee1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“yield of corn ( Zea mays L.)”
e1“yield decreases associated with less severe leaf loss or loss 20 days or more after 50% silking were largely related to a decline in kernel weight”
Claim · model-written summary
Removing all leaves above the ear did not significantly differ in effect from removing all leaves below the ear.
- Treatment
- removing all leaves above the eare1
- Outcome
- effecte1
- Direction
- not significantly differente1
- Comparator
- removing all leaves below the eare1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“yield of corn ( Zea mays L.)”
e1“the effect of removing all leaves above the ear was not significantly different from that obtained by removing all leaves below the ear”
The same questions in other papers
pruning · growth · Zea mays (maize)Results differ
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See all 174 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.