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Strong Volunteers

As the corn matured in the month of June, we took more stand counts and did a considerable amount of hoeing and staking.  What we did at the “home research farm” in New Holland, we often had to do the same at other research locations as well.  We would often load up the van with hoes and boxes of stakes and take off for a plot that could be a few miles away, could be in a neighboring county, or could be three hours either north or south.  On longer trips, we left the research station around 7:00 am and returned around 5:00 or 6:00 pm, usually after most other employees had returned home.  We did not complain however, as we got to take a nice nap on long rides, and lunch was also provided.

For each research field, there is set number of plots and a specific layout for these plots.  Each field is generally rectangular and surrounded by border rows of corn to act as a buffer.  A standard commercial variety is usually used for these border rows.  The test plot size is either two or four rows wide and is anywhere from 10 to 17 ½ feet long.  The field is divided into ranges and plots.  Ranges run horizontally and rows run vertically if you are oriented at the correct end of one of the fields.  Stakes were placed in certain ranges as specified by the breeders so they could identify the location of each of the plots as the corn grew.  The plant breeders and research assistants could then more easily collect their data.

 Valley near Williamsport, PA

Valley near Williamsport, PA

Hoeing out volunteer corn and the occasional hemp dogbane weed was another adventure all by itself.  The other three interns and I probably hoed between 30 to 40 acres of the home research farm at least once.  We hoed at most of the surrounding test fields close to New Holland.  We hoed down south in Delaware.  We hoed up north around Williamsport, PA.  In the month of June we hoed like it was going out of style.  Two more memorable hoeing trips stick out in my mind.  Once down in Delaware on a 96°F day, we were hoeing a field that had been planted but much of the seed was eaten by birds.  The field was then tilled up and re-planted, but some of the first round of corn that had not been eaten was still coming up.  We were hoeing out what was originally good experimental test material, but it was now in the way of the re-planted test material.  We were not hoeing pesky volunteer corn, but stuff other research assistants had planted three weeks ago!

Pulling out volunteer corn

Pulling out volunteer corn

Another memorable hoeing trip was just down the road from the New Holland station.  It was another 90°F day in a field that had been subjected to lodging and stalk strength testing in the previous season.  To test the stalk strength of each plot, they take an apparatus consisting of a few metal bars and “push” the corn over, seeing which plots withstand this best.  Usually most of the corn ends up on the ground.  Before the next corn test field was planted, the ground was tilled, creating a perfect environment for those buried kernels to germinate.  We were left to hoe out clumps of 5-10 corn plants popping up all throughout the rows of experimental plots.  To say we had a small volunteer corn problem would not accurately describe the situation.  Some of the volunteers were taller than the actual “good” corn and at times we could not tell where the actual rows of experimental corn were as we were on our hands and knees pulling the stuff out.  All in all though, good bonding experiences with our fellow interns and the other research assistants.

Where are the rows?

Where are the rows?

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