ASABE Technical Library - Abstract

Abstract. Sweet corn is a high value crop that can be grown in North Dakota, but is often constrained with low yield and quality due to low temperatures and short season, and is not competitive with sweet corn from other regions. Plastic mulch can be used to increase the soil temperature, enable earlier planting, potentially increase yield, and extend the length of the effective growing season. However, earlier planting can also create risk from frost and bird damage early in the season. Excessive rainfall can also delay or prevent planting earlier. In this study, a small plot experiment was designed as a randomized complete block with three replications in a split-split plot arrangement. Three varieties of sweet corn with different maturity days (65, 75, and 84 day) were planted under four mulch films (black, clear, biodegradable and no mulch) at four different dates (from April 15 to June 1 at a 15 day interval when it is possible to plant). Plant emergence, plant height, growth stage, soil and near surface air temperature, and yield were measured during the 2015 growing season. We found that the emergence rate was the highest for the clear and biodegradable mulch treatments for all four planting dates. Mulch is effective in raising soil temperature, increasing early growth for the 84 day variety and improving yield for all mulch covers when compared to the no mulch treatment.