Source: P. Thomison, OSU
Symptoms:
Light weight ears with poorly filled, shrunken kernels. Spaces between kernels indicating incomplete kernel fill.
Causes:
Severe stress (photosynthetic stress) at dough (R4) through early dent (R5) stages, including frost damage, premature plant death due to drought, high plant population, foliar diseases, severe potassium deficiency and hail.
Management:
Follow recommended guidelines for minimizing crop stress, including maintaining appropriate soil fertility, and selecting adapted hybrids and seeding rates consistent for soil yield potential and date of planting. Avoid planting too early in wet soils and adjust planting depth with varying soil conditions. Minimize weed competition with effective herbicide application and/or timely cultivation. Monitor the development of foliar diseases at VT/R1 to determine if foliar fungicide application is warranted.
References:
Lee, R.Dewey. 2012.The Georgia Corn Diagnostic Guide:A comprehensive guide for troubleshooting problems in corn, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. Available at: http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.html?number=B1221&title=Georgia%20Corn%20Diagnostic%20Guide [URL verified 3/28/2019].