Detopping in Maize: A Review

Abstract

The scope of increasing the cultivated area under forages is rather limited, because of mounting pressure on need for food and commercial crops, but there is a large demand for green and dry fodder from livestock industry. Hence, fodder production has to be increased per unit area per unit time. By practicing the de-topping in commercial grain maize we can increase the fodder production, quality and it also reduces the deficit of fodder to some extent. Reviews indicated that by de-topping of maize, there may be slight reduction in grain yield of maize but by doing it at right stage/time and at right plant height it gives highest net returns than no de-topped treatments. De-topping at 30 days after silking; removing the top 6 leaves or after physiological maturity; removing all the leaves above the cob or de-topping above 10th internode gives highest fodder yield and net returns with slight or no reduction in grain yield.

Multiple brace root phenotypes promote anchorage and limit root lodging in maize

“…A changing global climate is increasing the severity and prevalence of storm systems, which threatens crop production. Crop failure from mechanical stress is called lodging and is defined as the displacement of plants from vertical (Rajkumara, 2008). In cereal crops, lodging is reported to cause between 7% and 66% yield loss (Carter & Hudelson, 1988; Flint‐Garcia et al, 2003; Rajkumara, 2008; Tirado et al, 2020) and can be attributed to stalk and/or root failure (Berry et al, 2004; Rajkumara, 2008).…”

“…In cereal crops, lodging is reported to cause between 7% and 66% yield loss (Carter & Hudelson, 1988; Flint‐Garcia et al, 2003; Rajkumara, 2008; Tirado et al, 2020) and can be attributed to stalk and/or root failure (Berry et al, 2004; Rajkumara, 2008). Stalk lodging occurs at late growth stages when internodes buckle below the ear, whereas root lodging can occur at any growth stage when the root system fails by uprooting and/or breaking (Berry et al, 2004; Erndwein et al, 2020; Hostetler et al, 2021; Rajkumara, 2008). The development of lodging‐resistant crops relies on a detailed understanding of the underlying factors that contribute to lodging susceptibility.…”

“…To overcome this limitation, measures of plant anchorage have been developed as a proxy for root lodging (Erndwein et al, 2020). Using both natural lodging events and measures of plant anchorage, several factors that impact lodging have been defined, and include field management practices, plant stage at lodging, plant genotype, and plant architecture (e.g., root system architecture and plant height) (Berry et al, 2004; Carter & Hudelson, 1988; Rajkumara, 2008).…”

Maize plants and the brace roots that support them

“…Whether preventing a tree from falling onto your house or keeping a crop standing in the field, plant biomechanics is at the heart of plant health. In agriculture, plant mechanical failure is called lodging, and causes widespread losses in both crop quantity and quality (Flint‐Garcia et al ., 2003; Rajkumara, 2008; Mizuno et al ., 2018; Tirado et al ., 2021; Hostetler et al ., 2022). Despite the negative economic impacts of crop lodging, lodging is a complex problem and simple solutions have been elusive.…”

Dual-purpose production of forage and seeds in maize by detopping and defoliation

“…Among detopping (removal of the upper ear stem) of maize at 10, 20, and 30 d after silking, detopping at 20 d after silking results in the higher grain yield (Amanullah, 2020). Detopping 30 d after silking, removal of the top 6 leaves after physiological maturity, removal of all leaves above the ear, or detopping above the tenth internode produces the highest forage yield and net yield with partial or no reduction in grain yield (Rajkumara et al, 2020). In a study of three detopping levels including complete removal of the shoot from above the ear, leaving one or two leaves above the ear, and four detopping times (different times after pollination) in maize, detopping reduces grain yield by 18% and lowers the 1000-seed weight.…”