Effect of harvests at different growing periods and intra row spaces to silage and grain yield of corn (Zea mays L. indentata) under Harran Plain

This experiment was set up with a dent corn silage variety (Samada-07) using 10 different harvest times (after emergence 30. day, 50. day, 60. day, 70. day, 80. day, 90. day, 100. day, 110. day, and 120. day) and with five different intra-row spacings (10 cm, 14 cm, 18 cm, 22 cm, 26 cm). The research was established as a split plot in a completely randomized block design with three replications under Harran Plain second crop conditions in 2009.Research results indicate that fresh and dry silage yield, height of the first ear, plant height, and leaf number were increased with increasing plant density, while stem diameter, leaf surface area, weight of dry matter in roots, ear length and diameter, number of ears per plant, kernel weight per ear,1000-kernel weight, and cob ratio decreased. Harvest index was found higher in parcels with high plant density. Although the grain yield has been affected by the plant density, the highest economical yield was 1099 kg/da at the 18-cm intra-row spacing.The dry silage yield, dry matter ratio, the plant height, the height of the first ear, and the number of leaf per plant have gradually increased towards the end of the harvesting period. The stem diameter, leaf surface area per plant, and the number of ears per plant proportionally increased as the harvesting time progressed, but increasing ratio was low. The highest fresh and dry silage yields were 7244 kg/da and 3254 kg/da, respectively, at the density of 14 000 plant/da with a 10-cm intra-row spacing.Key words: Corn, intra-row spacing, harvest time, silage and grain yield.