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| Found this on High Plains/Midwest Journals website related to "tip-back."
"What causes incomplete or partially-filled ears? Tip-back may have several causes. Hot weather in late July has caused corn ears to "tip back" slightly. If small, incomplete kernels at the tip have yellow color, they were pollinated but later cut off from the plant in order to fill the remaining kernels. Purdue University agronomist, Dr. Bob Nielsen, suggests "kernels are most susceptible to abortion during the first two weeks following pollination, particularly kernels near the tip of the ear." Tip kernels are generally last to be fertilized, less vigorous than the rest and most susceptible to abortion. Hybrid differences may occur due to timing of stress relative to pollination when comparing hybrids of different silking dates, stress tolerance or the hybrid's tendency to adjust ear length. In fields where emergence was variable, ear size may be smaller, and since late-emerging plants entered pollination behind the majority of the field, tip-back may be more significant. Remember to focus not on how many kernels have tipped back, rather the remaining kernels on the ear. " | |
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Ear Fill?
