Results of different germination tests on seed corn lots of various ages

Stand is important wherever corn is grown, but it is often reduced when cool wet weather follows planting. To the hybrid seed corn producer, the matter of obtaining a stand is doubly important because of the high initial cost of seed stocks and because failure of one parent necessitates the replanting of the other parent also. In Tennessee the single cross T61 x T13 is used as the seed parent in three commercial hybrids. Farmers frequently report difficulty in obtaining stands of this single cross, especially if cool weather follows planting, even though recent laboratory examination tests run as high as 90 per cent or better. In addition to these obvious problems, seed growers are occasionally faced with the practical problem of marketing carry over seed. The effect on stand has not been clearly determined.

This experiment was designed to study (1) the germination of the single cross T61 x T13 under various environmental conditions and (2) the effect of age on the germination of commercial hybrid corn seed.