791801 Description

Purdue Agronomy Farm Corn Moisture Stress (791801)


Differences in moisture availability account for much of the variation from year to year in corn yields. This experiment was a limited study of the effects of deficits in plant available moisture on the spectral characteristics of corn canopies. Three levels of stress were to be established when the corn reached approximately one meter height: none, moderate, and severe. The corn was grown on sand beds, unlain by perforated pipe for rapid drainage. Varying amounts of water can be applied to the plots to provide different levels of available moisture.

Spectral measurements were to be made with the Exotech 20C and PRT-5 systems at weekly intervals, along with the standard agronomic and meteorological measurements. However, due to an unexpected nutritional problem associated with use of a new sand, only a limited number of measurements were made of this experiment.

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