What causes the abnormal leafy ears in corn?
We have seen this abnormal ears at the end of the season in corn. Usually, at the edges of the field. Not sure about the center of the field (we have not checked).
I have attached pictures for the case.
Thank you in advance for your contribution.
According to the Ohio State Extension this is found in some hybrids under humid conditions. They do not see it as a problem in terms of either yield or quality. They seem to seem it is of abiotic physiological rather than biotic pathological cause.
I think the leafy structure could be plants adaptive mechanism to accumulate higher solar radiation at the periphery of the fields. As mentioned by someone, yes, the environmental head stress could have let to gene expression leading to the structural difference in the ears.
I am agree with all three responds in general. These symptoms are not caused by biotic agents. However, as pointed out by Dr. Andrew Paul McKenzie Pegman, it is mostly as if genetic disorder.
Thank you so much for the valuable responses.
Hope to hear more opinions from other experts.
I would like to emphasize that, recently, we have had more rain than usual. So the change of environmental conditions as a cause makes a lot of sense.
If a plant stays leafy and green without having any disfunction it could be related to genetic influences but it unlikely that it can be called a disorder if the physiology and utility of the plant is not impaired. If it has an environmental component or cause it would be abiotic with genetic influence. In reality about all of our important traits are not strictly either genetic or environmental but the genetic by environment interactions are highly important and interactive. Like in the movie Trading Places we want to determine the cause as either environmental (nuture) or genetic (nature) in the most of situation it is both. For instance the rapid increase in bred crops for yield can account for only about one half of crop increase while the advance of agronomic practices which are mostly an environmental focus have ability to give the full increases of modern day crops such as maize which is highly bred by private and public enterprises. An animal with double muscle could be considered a genetic abnormality for a beef farming it might be considered a preferred condition. Just because something is out of the ordinary does not mean it is a disorder or a disease.
I do not think that it is an abnormality. These are called husk leaves and the character is under genetic control. The expression of this character would depend on the fertility of the soil and nutrition. In highly fertile soil and good growing conditions the expression would be more. This character is heritable.
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