Stand establishment is generally more difficult in cool soils. Thus, increase planting rates to allow for more stand failure in early plantings. Hybrids often respond differently to varying plant populations, depending on the environment and their genetic backgrounds. Therefore, picking an optimum plant population may seem to be a somewhat arbitrary task. However, suitable plant populations can be selected by following the seed company's recommendations and monitoring corn physiological indicators for several years or locations with different environments.
Research indicates corn yields are maximized when one ear per plant is produced.
This is important because plant population affects the number of ears per plant. Therefore, monitoring the number of prolific or barren stalks and extent of ear tip kernel abortion can indicate a suitable plant population. A population should be high enough so limited sunlight penetrates through the fully developed crop canopy at silking. Incomplete light interception limits yield because all available energy is not being used. Light interception varies with plant population, hybrid, row width, and growth conditions.