Saving Corn Seed

[897tgigvib]

Corn is a plant that grows much better if the seed is not inbred, that is, not self pollinated.

Open pollinated Corn is mostly cross pollinated, but the percentage of self pollinated is not known, and the possibility of getting several generations in a row of self pollinated seed is definitely there when it is only a small amount grown and saved for next year's crop.

Inbred Corn actually behaves similar to inbred Mammals. Certain genes that are normally hidden as non functioning recessive genes begin showing up. Smaller and weaker plants happen, unfilled ears, generally less vigor.

The way around that with a good open pollinated non hybrid heirloom variety of Corn is to select a few of the best plants in the middle area of your corn patch, and remove the tassles from them as they begin to show. It might take a couple times cutting them, because sometimes the plant'll make side tassels. Several things you can select which ones to detassle for are, you might want your variety to be a bit earlier. Generally, but not always, the quicker it tassles the earlier the corn. So, ya might want to detassle the first few that tassle out.

What ya do is save seed from the detassled plants. Those'll be the plants that got pollen from other plants in your patch, and will therefore not be self pollinated. They will not be hybrids so long as all the corn in your patch is the same variety, and providing there is no other variety near, (or even farther and upwind), that might provide pollen unwittingly.

By the way, this detassling to get other corn to pollinate the plant makes corn the easiest of plants to hybridize if you want to do that. Doing it the old fashioned way, without artificially selecting inbred lines, and without endangering a rare variety, can be pretty cool, because yes, the seed can be saved, and you can have an old fashioned mixed crop of corns that way, giving you a longer period of harvest for one thing.

If you do decide to hybridize corn, a few general things: Make sure the corn varieties are the same or similar type, or for the same purpose. Crossing Popcorn with Sweet Corn will likely make some kind of corn not much good for either. Dent would probably be crossable with flint for a flour corn.

But in general, save seed from a detassled plant. Try doing a comparison yourself. Grow a patch from plants that had their tassles, and grow a patch from plants that were detassled.

 

[ducks4you]

Thanks, bc we REALLY need to go back a few years and do things the old ways, if we're gonna keep ahead of the labs producing grain that won't reproduce itself.
GADS!!! What a scary thought!!

 

[seedcorn]

Marshall, I don't know where to begin.

1) Detassling will do nothing in terms of inbreds. If all the plants are from the same pollination/population, then you are making an inbred. Reason you see larger ears from detassled plants is that no energy is used on making pollen or shedding so that energy is used by the plant to make the ear.
2) The reason you select the largest ear is because you are in a limited genetic pool that you are selecting for what ear type you desire. What you pick is what you get.
3) While inbred plants do act like inbred animals but you are dealing with more genes w/animals. Again you inbreed or line breed to select for desired genes and select away from undesireable genes or traits.
4) When you cross 2 inbred lines you should get a production bump from hybrid vigor but that is not assured unless you do test trials and see it does happen.
5) IF another line you are getting pollen from is from a protected line, you can not just "use that line" in your breeding program.
6) IF all the plants are not of the same population, then whatever crosses you get will not be of uniform genetics and you will get all kinds of types. This is what "old fashioned" corn breeding used to be. They would make outcrosses, select the plants they liked, and multiply the seed, culling any seeds that didn't fit their type. IF you don't control the pollin, then you could have "in theory" every kernel being only half brothers.

For the home gardener, if you want larger ears, detassle about 2/3 of your corn plants as one tassle can pollinate about 12-20 ears.

 

[897tgigvib]

<<< Not biting

 

[momofdrew]

I am totally confused...but not to worry...that is a state I am often in

I could not save seed of my corn because the neighbor behind me grows corn and I have no idea what he grows...and there is chance of contamination

 

[897tgigvib]

Momofdrew, the simple version is, when you save seed from your Corn for planting next year:

1) It should be an heirloom, and not a commercial hybrid.

2) Somewhere in the middle of your Corn patch cut the developing tassle off a couple of Corn plants. Those plants will make the cobs that you will let ripen and dry for seeds.


Yes, you do have a contaminent pollen problem with your neighbor's Corn.

Try to find out from your neighbor what kind of Corn they are growing.

If your neighbor's Corn is a similar type, that is, if you are growing Sweet Corn, and their Corn is Sweet Corn also, it'll probably be ok for you to save your Corn seed.

By saving seed from a couple of detassled plants in the middle of your Corn patch, most of the pollen will come from your own patch.

Also, Corn seed color is affected by the pollen parent to some extent. When you are harvesting and removing the seeds from the cobs to save for next year, watch for a few seeds that are colored slightly differently. Those would have a higher likelihood of being crossed by your neighbor's Corn.

Waheenee, Buffalo Bird Woman, told of growing something like 6 varieties of corn in the same area. She spoke of how they saved the seed.

They saved corn seed from the middle of the cob only, and made sure the color was right. She was also aware that one of their varieties had spirit from one of the other varieties and was descended from another variety because of the colors that often showed.

Another thing is that your neighbor's corn may well tassle and be releasing pollen at a different time than yours which will reduce your contamination concerns further.

 

[seedcorn]

I am totally confused...but not to worry...that is a state I am often in

I could not save seed of my corn because the neighbor behind me grows corn and I have no idea what he grows...and there is chance of contamination

Why would you want to if it was pollinated by another variety? The seed you save the first year, it will be a hybrid. The second year it will be a wild mess as there will be many different type of genetics going on. That is why you don't save hybrid seed unless you are trying to make another family--in which case you will need to line breed it for 7 generations to get it to breed consistent (or pure).

I know it may bite but all breeders have the responsiblity to not only know what they have done but what their neighbors are growing. That is why breeder companies go to great pains (and expense) to keep their seed isolated.

the middle of the seed has the greatest chance of being the purist as the tips are the last to pollinate and the butts are the first.

 

[897tgigvib]

To reiterrate:

"By saving seed from a couple of detassled plants in the middle of your Corn patch, most of the pollen will come from your own patch.

Also, Corn seed color is affected by the pollen parent to some extent. When you are harvesting and removing the seeds from the cobs to save for next year, watch for a few seeds that are colored slightly differently. Those would have a higher likelihood of being crossed by your neighbor's Corn.

Waheenee, Buffalo Bird Woman, told of growing something like 6 varieties of corn in the same area. She spoke of how they saved the seed.

They saved corn seed from the middle of the cob only, and made sure the color was right. She was also aware that one of their varieties had spirit from one of the other varieties and was descended from another variety because of the colors that often showed."

To further clarify:

I am hoping that you will be able to recognize that the majority, by far, will be seed pollinated by your own patch, and will be the seed you probably want to save, and will be of the right color. The few seed that is off colored and may be discarded if you wish, and probably should be discarded if your neighbor's patch is of the modern hybrid type.

Seedcorn's question appears to be based on misunderstanding my words.

As a boss I had years ago used to tell me, "I'm getting old enough that the bone in me that requires me to explain things has gone away." She was at that time younger than I am now.

 

[897tgigvib]

This is a full quote from The Seed Trust:

We hand sort our corn seed to assure no contamination by genetically-altered, wind-born pollen."



http://secure.seedstrust.com/index....art&page=shop.browse&category_id=228&Itemid=2

 

[The Mama Chicken]

There are several fields of corn near my house, and since they are commercial feed corn I just assume they are GMOs. I won't be saving any corn seed at all for just that reason. Not only do I not want GM genes in my future crops, but I really don't want to be sued by the company that holds the patent for those genes. It's not such a big deal for suburban gardeners, but here in the country, you gotta think about stuff like that.