Picture of the Week: Best in Show Sweet Corn

This picture was submitted from the Sussex County Fair in New Jersey by Christy. The bi-colored sweet corn pictured won best in show for the corn category. Sweet corn matures faster than field corn and can typically be ready for harvest starting in June across the U.S. Here is an explanation of sweet corn varieties from Botanicalinterests.com:

 

There are three types of sweet corn. They are normal sugary (su), sugary enhanced (se) and supersweet (sh2). These types refer to the sugar content and sweet flavor in the kernels when mature. The normal sugary (su) sweet corn will convert kernel sugar to starch immediately after harvest. This means the sweet flavor is rapidly lost. The supersweet or "shrunken two" (sh2) type was discovered in 1950 by Dr. J. R. Laugham, University of Illinois using traditional breeding techniques. He discovered a corn containing more sugar and when dried, the kernels shrunk thus the name shrunken. These high sugar types were named Supersweet because the sugar content can be twice as great as normal sugary (su) sweet corn at peak maturity. The Supersweet types slow down the conversion of sugar to starch so that the sweet flavor lasts longer after harvest.

 

About ten years later, again at the University of Illinois, Dr. A.M. Rhodes bred a corn with sweet flavor and tender texture. Dr. Rhodes called this new type, sugary enhanced (se) genetic types. The (se) corn has higher sugar levels and because of this, the sweet flavor will last longer after harvest. Overall (se) sugary enhanced types have increased in popularity because they combine the sweet flavor with ease of growing for gardeners.

 

Remember, we are always looking for more agricultural pictures from anywhere in the world. Submit pictures to farmlandforecast@colvin-co.com.



 

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