Sustainable Practices for Vegetable Production in the South
Dr. Mary Peet, NCSU
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Sweet Corn
HARVEST AND POST-HARVEST
Harvest generally begins 18 to 23 days after the first silks appear. Silks should be dry and brown and the husks tight around the ear. Kernels should be plump and exude a milky liquid when punctured (except for those cultivars with sh2 genes where the liquid is clear). Sweet corn can be mechanically harvested or hand-harvested using harvest aids with conveyor belts. To minimize heat build-up and retain peak quality, sweet corn should be picked during cooler periods, such as at night or in the early morning, then cooled to 32 degrees F immediately. Corn can be hydrocooled and should be iced for shipment. Even though they retain sugars longer, it is still recommended that supersweets be stored and shipped at 32 degrees F and 95 to 98 percent relative humidity to retain flavor and freshness when shipped long distances.
Sweet corn cultivars with insect or disease resistance
|
Resistant cultivars exist |
Cultivars |
| Insects |
| Aphid |
No |
/ |
| Corn earworm |
No |
/ |
| European corn borer |
No |
/ |
| Fall armyworm |
No |
/ |
| Southern corn rootworm |
No |
/ |
| Seed corn maggot |
No |
/ |
| Diseases |
| Smut |
Yes |
Merit, most Ferry Morris lines |
| Northern leaf blight |
Yes |
Most Asgrow lines, Tuxedo, Sweet Sal |
| Southern leaf blight |
Yes |
Classic |
| Northern Rust |
Yes |
Calico Belle, Shield Crest |
| Stewart's wilt |
Yes |
Snowbelle, Silverado, Bonanza, Silver Queen |
| Dwarf mosaic virus |
Yes |
Gator Gold |
| Bacterial wilt |
Yes |
Ferry Morse Bicolor super sweet lines |