Comparing Colors: The color of plastic mulch plays a role in the maturity and yield of sweet corn

摘要

EARLY sweet corn maturity can be enhanced from six days to two weeks by using clear plastic mulch. Some growers use this prac-tice on their earliest plantings to gain a market advantage and higher price, but results are inconsistent from year to year. In cool, wet springs the practice is highly profitable, and in central and northern Iowa the years where an early yield advantage occurs, the income offsets the costs for the years with no gain. In a study conducted in 2008 in central Iowa, the objective was to evaluate early sweet corn production grown on various colored plastic mulches for maturity and yield.