Roots Partially Drive Super Sweet Maize Yield

Although it has been indicated that corn biomass accumulation between sowing and harvest are directly related to incident photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) intercepted by the canopy, plant roots can sense soil environment and, via some internal signal, transmit the condition of the soil to extending leaves. Experiments combined two plant densities, a transplant routine and a single benzyl aminopurine (BAP) spray on different super sweet maize hybrids to test the hypothesis that a changes in both light and root environments drive super sweet maize yield. Pot experiment showed a close coordination between roots and shoot growth while field experiments support the proposed hypothesis through the positive relationships between RLAE, CGR and yield and root dry weight. This novelty approach would indicate that root growth could be considered as a limiting factor to shoot growth and yield in super sweet maize crops.