No-tillage (NT) practice for corn production has advantages of reduction of soil erosion and energy conservation. Research on effects of NT for sweet corn or super sweet corn is very limited. Hybrids of sugary (su) and shrunken-2 (sh2) were tested under NT and conventional tillage (CT) practices to investigate plant characters, ear characters, fresh yield, and grain yield. Sugary hybrids were Golden Cross Bantam 70 (GCB70), Sprint, Geumdanok, and Danok3. Shrunken-2 hybrids were BSS9472, Cambella90, GSS9299, Jubilee, KS-Y-65, and Chodangok1. Emergence rates under NT were lower than those under CT for su, while there was no difference between tillage systems for sh2. There were no differences between CT and NT for days to tasseling and silking, plant height, and ear height for both su and sh2. Ear characters such as ear length, number of kernel rows, number of kernels per row, and t100-kernel weight under NT were not significantly different from those under CT. There were no differences between two tillage practice for fresh and grain yield, rather they showed trend of increases under NT practices. Results from this trial indicate that NT practice for both su and sh2 cultivation may be possible to recommend to farmers.

Sweet com seeds deteriorate faster due to low starch content than field com seeds when stored for a long tenn. This study had been conducted to observe the seed deterioration of four different sweet corns in a long tenn storage conditions in room temperature. Four kinds of sweet com genes (sh2, bt, su, and se) were harvested from 15 days to 50 days after silking with 5-day intervals. These seeds were stored in the room temperature and tested for germination percentages from 3 months to 18 months period with 3-month interval. su seeds germinated better than other types of gene. Hybrid Mecca which is sh2 gene germinated better when stored for 3 months to 18 months. For all genes, mean regression equations in relation to storage periods showed linear responses. For regression equation, the slope of sh2 gene was lower than that of su gene. The highest slope value was observed in bt gene showing faster deterioration rate. The rate at which seed deteriorates seems to be affected by the date at which it was harvested. The seeds that were harvested at the optimum time deteriorated more slowly than those which were not

Germination of sweet and super sweet corn is lower than normal corn due to the higher sugar and lower starch contents of kernels. Sweet corn seeds are easily deteriorated in the field under the unfavorable condition, therefore it is important to identify the optimal harvesting time for seed production. This trial was conducted to investigate the responses of germination percentage of shrunken-2(sh2), brittle(bt), sugary(su), and sugary enhancer(se) hybrids in relation to harvesting dates. Eight hybrids of four different gene sweet corns were harvested at 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 days after silking(DAS). Germination test was performed using paper towel method. Mean germination percentages across eight hybrids showed the highest value at 45 DAS. There were significant differences among genes and within gene for germination. Shrunken-2 hybrid Mecca was higher than su hybrids for germination, indicating that sh2 would not be poorer than su Late harvesting beyond the optimal harvesting date might not be desirable because of more lodging and ear rots. Theoretical optimal harvesting date estimated from the regression equation was 40.9 DAS, however, practical date for harvesting would be a few days later than the estimated date if seedling vigor might be considered. Kernel dry weight per ear showed similar response to germination. Regression equation showed the highest kernel dry weight at 40.7 DAS. Significant correlations between kernel dry weight and germination were observed, impling that kernel dry matter accumulation would be an important factor for germination.

Receptivity of corn silk to pollen decreases with time. For effective pollination, it is important to study the receptivity of corn silks in relation to time elapsed after their emergence. Two commercial corn hybrids, 'Kwanganog' and 'Suwon 19', were tested for their silk growth and effects of delayed pollination on kernel development for 1 to 13 days after emergence of the first silk. Silks elongated rapidly for the first 3 days and then gradually decreased. Silks grew more than 30mm per day for the first 3 days and stopped growing on the 11 or 12th day after emergence of the first silk. Filled ear length decreased slowly for the first 8 days, and then decreased rapidly. Similar trends were observed for number of kernel rows and number of kernels per row or ear. The highest numbers of kernels per row or ear were observed when plants were pollinated 2-4 days after silking. These numbers decreased gradually up to 8 days, and then decreased sharply. This result indicates that 8 day-delayed pollination has no influence on kernel development. There were negative correlations between silk length and ear characteristics except kernel weight. Silk growth rate was positively correlated with filled ear length, row number, and kernel number. It might be assumed that delayed pollination by one week after the first silk emerged would not affect on kernel set