Abstract:

The paper aims to study the optimum harvesting period of corn silks. Corn silks harvesting experiments were conducted in 2017 and 2018 with ‘Jingnongke 728’and ‘Demeiya 3’, the main corn varieties planted in Heilongjiang Province, to compare the effects of different harvesting periods on the functional components of corn silk, the yield of corn silk and the yield of corn. The results showed that the content of total flavonoids in corn silk decreased with the silking days and the content of total polysaccharides increased. Delaying pollination in female spike bagging way could effectively promote the growth of silk, however significantly reduce the rate of ear setting. The yield of silks of ‘Jingnongke 728’and ‘Demeiya 3’ bagging 6 d increased by 79.2% and 65.5% compared with that of natural pollination respectively, and grain number fell 57.9% and 88.2% respectively; bagging 12 d the yield of silk of the two varieties increased by 107.6% and 74.8% respectively, and the amount of grain number fell by 96.1% and 96.0% respectively; bagging 3 d had no effect on ear setting. The variation range of corn silk yield ranged from 0.443 to 1.003 g/ear, with an average value of 0.655 g/ear and a variation coefficient of 24.78%. To give consideration to corn yield, corn silk quality and silk yield, 3 to 5 d after silking is the best harvest time of corn silk.

Key words: corn, corn silk, polysaccharide, flavonoids, yield