2003 Sweet Corn Variety Trial - UKREC - 2003
Joseph G. Masabni, Department of Horticulture, Princeton

New varieties of sweet corn are being developed on a yearly basis. The newest trend in sweet corn is the super sweet varieties that combine the high sugar content of enhanced sugar varieties and the crunchy kernel of older varieties. The West Kentucky Grower Cooperative, based in Owensboro, KY, is continually interested in finding new varieties that would appeal to the market or the consumer. Logically, these varieties would be profitable for the growers who are also members with the cooperative. Towards that goal, a sweet corn variety trial was conducted in 2003 to evaluate 10 new and improved sh2 varieties.

Ten supersweet sweet corn varieties were provided by the West Kentucky Growers Cooperative in order to be evaluated at the University of Kentucky Research and Education Center at Princeton, Kentucky. The trial consisted of 4 bi-color, 3 white, and 3 yellow sweet corn varieties as shown in Table 1.

Table 1. Names, colors, and sources of supersweet sweet corn used in the 2003 trial at UKREC, Princeton, KY.

The experimental design consisted of a randomized complete block design with 3 replications and 10 treatments, with sweet corn varieties as treatments. Plots were 35 ft long and 80 inches wide. Each plot was seeded with 2003 with a plate seeder calibrated to seed 2 rows of corn 40 inches apart at 9 inch spacing within rows. A 10 ft alley was left between replications 1 and 2 and between replications 2 and 3, to facilitate spraying, harvesting, and other maintenance practices. Prior to seeding, fertilizer and lime were amended according to the soil test results. A drip irrigation system was set up with 1 line of drip tape per variety across the whole plot. Soluble N was added through the drip irrigation every 2 weeks after germination. The trial was seeded on April 22^nd, 2003.

On May 14, 2003, Atrazine 1 qt/acre was applied broadcast over the whole plot for the control of emerged and emerging weeds. On June 18, 2003, Poast 1 qt/acre and COC 1% (v/v) were sprayed with a backpack sprayer and a 2-nozzle shielded boom, for control of emerged grasses growing in between the treatments. No fungicides were applied on this trial, and only 1 application of Sevin was applied at tassel stage for insect control.

Table 2 lists the variables measured for each sweet corn variety. 6800 Y and 6802R BC were first to be harvested, had the highest number of ears/plant, total number of ears per plot and the highest germination percentage. Ear weight didn’t differ between all 10 varieties as indicated in table 1, even though ear weight ranged from 6.5 – 7.8 oz.

8102R BC had the longest harvestable ears followed closely by Camas BC. In turn, Camas BC, Saturn Y, and 8102R BC had the highest ear width measurements.

Table 3 lists the 10 varieties in descending order for each variable measured. This allows quick comparison of the rankings between varieties without the need for hard numbers. Camas BC is present in the top third for all variables except for plant height. 8102R BC and 2 varieties of Saturn also made it to the top 3 varieties when looking at ear length, width, and weight.

AC945 Y was in the lowest third for all measured varieties except for ear width.

No taste study was conducted on these 10 varieties. However, comments were solicited from recipients of the harvested sweet corn. Although not scientific by any means, these comments will be presented here. Most like the bi-color look of the sweet corn, but mentioned that they usually buy what’s available in the store. If given a choice, they will buy a brand name they are familiar with. The white kernelled varieties received the most extreme opinions, either totally loved or hated for their sweetness and crunch and for their color paleness.

Future work will concentrate on retesting the bi-color and white kernelled varieties, as they seemed to hold the most potential for the young consumers who prefer very sweet foods or snacks. In terms of the kernel color, Summer Sweet 6800 was the best of the yellow varieties and 6802R was the best of bi-color varieties. Overall, Summer Sweet 6802 (bi-color) performed the best in terms of yield and earliness of harvest.

Table 2. Germination, and plant and ear characteristics of sweet corn in the 2003 variety trial at UKREC, Princeton, KY.

Table 3. Sweet corn varieties sorted by descending order for each measured variable.