Abstract
Abstract The expansion of maize ( Zea mays ) into cooler areas has been facilitated by the availability of early maturing cultivars and by cultivation under plastic mulch. However, year‐to‐year variation in harvest quality remains a problem. The yield and quality of ‘Goldcob’, an early maturing forage maize, were assessed over 5 years from plots grown in the open and under plastic mulch. For both treatments, there was significant between‐year variation in yield and quality (starch content, metabolizable energy, organic matter and D‐value), and starch content was particularly variable. The use of plastic mulch to warm the soil advanced the establishment of the crop, with silking occurring on average 19 days earlier. This resulted in significantly higher yields under plastic mulch, with a mean increase of 3·9 t ha −1 . The plastic mulch also resulted in significant increases in quality parameters, with starch content showing a mean increase of 36%. The Ontario heat unit model explained much of the variability in yield, both in the open and under plastic mulch. Plastic mulch had no consistent effect on Ontario heat units accumulated prior to silking, but Ontario heat units accumulated between silking and harvest ( OHU post‐silk ) were found to be an adequate predictor of yield. The response of starch content was more complex, showing a clear plateau in the response to temperature at 1200 OHU post‐silk , above which the accumulation of starch appears limited by other factors.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Yield and quality varied significantly between years for both treatments.
- Outcome
- yield and qualitye0
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize”
e0“For both treatments, there was significant between‐year variation in yield and quality (starch content, metabolizable energy, organic matter and D‐value), and starch content was particularly variable.”
Claim · model-written summary
Plastic mulch advanced silking by an average 19 days.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize”
e0“The use of plastic mulch to warm the soil advanced the establishment of the crop, with silking occurring on average 19 days earlier.”
Claim · model-written summary
Plastic mulch significantly increased yield by a mean 3·9 t ha −1.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize”
e0“This resulted in significantly higher yields under plastic mulch, with a mean increase of 3·9 t ha −1 .”
Claim · model-written summary
Plastic mulch significantly raised starch content by a mean 36%.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize”
e0“The plastic mulch also resulted in significant increases in quality parameters, with starch content showing a mean increase of 36%.”
Claim · model-written summary
Plastic mulch significantly raised other quality parameters.
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize”
e0“The plastic mulch also resulted in significant increases in quality parameters, with starch content showing a mean increase of 36%.”
Claim · model-written summary
The Ontario heat unit model explained much yield variability in open and mulch plots.
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize”
e0“The Ontario heat unit model explained much of the variability in yield, both in the open and under plastic mulch.”
Claim · model-written summary
Mulch had no consistent effect on heat units before silking.
- Treatment
- Plastic mulche0
- Outcome
- Ontario heat units accumulated prior to silkinge0
- Direction
- no consistent effecte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize”
e0“Plastic mulch had no consistent effect on Ontario heat units accumulated prior to silking, but Ontario heat units accumulated between silking and harvest ( OHU post‐silk ) were found to be an adequate predictor of yield.”
Claim · model-written summary
Post-silking heat units adequately predicted yield.
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize”
e0“Ontario heat units accumulated between silking and harvest ( OHU post‐silk ) were found to be an adequate predictor of yield.”
Claim · model-written summary
Starch content plateaued at 1200 post-silking heat units.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“maize”
e0“The response of starch content was more complex, showing a clear plateau in the response to temperature at 1200 OHU post‐silk , above which the accumulation of starch appears limited by other factors.”
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