YIELD LOSS IN SWEET CORN IN RESPONSE TO DEFOLIATION OR INFECTION BY EXSEROHILUM-TURCICUM

Abstract Net CO2 assimilation was reduced in sites of infection by Exserohilum turcicum in leaves of Seneca 60 sweet corn before lesions appeared. In leaf tissue adjacent to infected areas, there was an early small increase in CO2 assimilation followed by a gradual decline to nearly 0 net CO2 exchange by 7 days after inoculation. Translocation of photosynthates in to disease lesions from healthy tissue distal to the lesions was observed within 1 h after exposure of 1.2–cm2 areas of the leaf blade to 14CO2. No translocation from lesions to healthy leaf tissue was observed. The effects of defoliation at specific leaf positions on yield of sweet corn plants were accurately simulated by a model in which yield is expressed as a function of healthy leaf area absorption of incident insolation. Removal of leaves from the bottom third of the plants caused no yield loss, whereas removal of leaves above the ear caused significant losses. The model underes, timated the yield loss caused by infection by E. turcicum by approximately 22 %. The observed effects of infection by E. turcicum on photosynthetic efficiency in leaf tissue adjacent to lesions and on translocation of photosynthates into lesion from distal parts of the leaf show that the effect of northern leaf blight on yield is greater than can be accounted for by the direct loss of healthy leaf area through necrosis within disease lesions. Copyright © 1990, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved