Sweet Corn

Why is NOVIC breeding sweet corn?

Organic sweet corn growers face many serious challenges, and need varieties developed for their systems. Whereas conventional growers can use fungicidal treatment to protect their seed in cold, damp soils, their organic counterparts do not have this option. Organic farmers identified the need for varieties with superior cold germination, early vigor. good husk protection, good disease resistance and the sweet, creamy flavor and tender pericarp that characterize excellent eating quality. Our research and breeding efforts intend to develop sweet corn germplasm that answers these needs and contributes to farmer’s profitability, security, and sustainability.
 

What is the breeding plan?

This project will focus on sugary enhancer sweet corn. Sugary enhancer sweet corn (“SE”, possessing susu sese alleles) was identified as the preferred type for the farmer participants for certain key markets. Traditional sugary (susu) type varieties have reduced sweetness and holding capacity in comparison to SE types. Varieties with SE endosperm are often preferable to supersweets (possessing sh2sh2 alleles) partially because of their greater seedling vigor and reduced susceptibility to rotting in cool soils. The corn breeding projects will be focused on four northern-tier farms, in California, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The breeding project is working primarily with two populations developed at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. The populations started from vigorous, cold tolerant commercially available hybrid SE varieties with desirable flavor and other quality traits. In each of the above populations, a recurrent selection program will be undertaken. At each farm, single row plots from individual ears (“families”) will be planted and evaluated for vigor, disease and pest resistance, and flavor. Based on these evaluations, a dozen or so families will be selected. These selected families will be crossed together in a winter nursery in order to generate new families to be evaluated and selected the following summer (see diagram).  

Which varieties are included in the trials?

Listed below are sweet corn varieties tested in years 2010 and 2011 of the project. In some cases, varieties were used in consecutive trial years. Visit the Organic Variety Trial Database to view trial results on the varieties below.