SUSCEPTIBILITY OF DENT CORN TO ROOT ROTTING. 7 



time the seedlings from the starchy kernels had practically caught up 

 with the others. His opinion that the advantage ordinarily obtained 

 by rapid early growth is not retained throughout the season is not 

 borne out by these Indiana experiments. In the Bedford experiment 

 the advantage of stronger early growth is reflected at harvest time in 

 the higher proportion of good ears and the lower percentage of 

 barren stalks. 



Leaning and down stalks have been considered valuable external 

 indications of a root-rotted condition. Just prior to harvesting, a 

 heavy windstorm lodged about 50 per cent of the stalks. Counts 

 of the leaning and down stalks made immediately following the 

 storm showed stalks from the horny group to be slightly more storm 

 resistant. 



The rows from horny seed ears also were superior in yield to those 

 from the starchy ones. After making corrections to eliminate errors 

 introduced by differences in stand, the starchy ears still produced 14 

 per cent less corn than the horny ears. These data furnish direct 

 evidence of the correlation of resistance to root rots in corn plants of 

 dent varieties with a horny character of endosperm and of the sus- 

 ceptibility of those with a starchy endosperm. 



SUMMARY. 



Ears of seed corn of dent varieties characterized by starchiness of 

 endosperm have been found to be infected with root-rot organisms 

 more frequently than seed ears characterized by horny endosperm 

 in the same seed lots. 



Starchy ears of corn of dent varieties produce larger numbers of 

 weaker growing plants, more susceptible to root rots in the field, than 

 do ears more horny in composition. 



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