An example of tassel ear
Submitted photo
As I’ve been driving around the county this week observing crop conditions, I stumbled upon a few cornfields with tassel ear. This odd-looking phenomenon can be the center of many conversations farmers might have over coffee, discussing what causes this and are there any impacts on corn yield because of it.
Tassel ears or tiller ears develop at the very top of the corn plant where the tassels are. The male and female reproductive parts on the corn plant are separated unisex flowers, the tassels are the male flowers, and the ear shoots are the female part of the flowers, but both reproductive structures contain male and female reproductive structures.
After each reproductive structure has initiated, the female components of the tassel, and the male components of the ear shoots abort, resulting in unisex tassels and ears (Nielsen, 2019). In the case of ear tassel development, the female reproductive structures within the tassels are never terminated. Because the tassel ear is not covered in a husk, it is subject to all environmental hazards such as rain, insects, and bird feeding. Because the ear is not protected, do not expect any kind of quality grain coming from a tassel ear.
The exact cause of ear tassel development is unknown, but some parallels can be drawn between hormone imbalances caused by certain environmental triggers within the corn plant. Some causes could be hail and wind damage, animal feeding, frost, flooding, herbicide damage, or mechanical injury before the V6 growth stage. Some hybrids might also be more prone to tiller under certain environmental conditions like severe drought.
Low planting density is also thought to be a contributing factor in tassel ear development, you will see that tassel ears are seen along the headlands of crop fields and very rarely, if ever, are found in the middle of a field. the early season soil compaction and saturated soil may have also contributed to ear tassel development.
In managing tassel ear development in your fields, try to avoid excessively low seeding rates. Typically, tassel ears do not contribute to crop yield, so even though it appears as an oddity, it generally is not something to worry about.
Brooks Warner is the Ag & Natural Resources Educator at OSU Extension Clinton County.
