Influence of the production method of different sweet corn hybrids on the productive characteristics

Abstract

Sweet corn (Zea mays L. var. saccharata Sturt.) is an important vegetable crop due to its nutritional value and economic profitability. The aim of this work was to examine the influence of the production method (container and direct sowing) on the productive characteristics (ear length, grain depth and ear weight) of two supersweet sweet corn hybrids (DDST 255 and Sweet Nugget) under irrigation conditions. The experiment was conducted in 2024 on a family farm in Bogojevac, southern Serbia. Container production resulted in greater ear length, kernel depth and ear weight compared to direct seeding. The method of production had a statistically significant influence (p<0.01) on all investigated traits, while the interaction of the production method and the hybrid was significant only for ear weight. Hybrid DDST 255 showed higher values compared to Sweet Nugget. Container production significantly affected the productive characteristics of sweet corn compared to direct sowing, especially in hybrid DDST 255. The choice of production method should be adapted to the choice of hybrid to achieve satisfactory values of the most important productive characteristics of sweet corn