Sweetcorn Trial Report 2016

Transcription

1 Sweetcorn Trial Report 2016 Written by Eva Erhart Trials Office, RHS Garden, Woking, Surrey, GU23 6QB Final Report for Trial No Sweetcorn

2 RHS Trial of Sweetcorn Introduction: Sweetcorn (Zea mays) is a member of the grass family, Poaceae. Sweetcorn is a naturally occurring type of corn which produces more sugar and less starch than field corn. Traditional sweetcorn starts to lose its flavour quickly after harvesting. Plant breeders introduce new varieties each year with increased sweetness, so the objective of this trial is to assess and compare the traditional and new cultivars of sweetcorn. Trial Location The trial was held on the Trials Field at RHS Garden and a duplicate trial was hosted at RHS Garden. Objectives The objectives of the trial were to assess a range of cultivars and to recommend the Royal Horticultural Society s Award of Garden Merit (AGM) to outstanding cultivars for garden use. Judging The Sweetcorn Trial Assessment Forum viewed the trial on 15 th and 25 th August 2016 and assessed the plants using the following judging criteria: Taste (raw) Colour Seed size Cob fill Date of maturity Height and standing ability Appearance; straightness of the Cob size and cob number/plant The members of the forum were: P Dawson, M Day, J England, I Gillott, A Hughes, S Mercer, B Newman, C Randel, S Wain, R White. Entries There were 32 entries in the trial at and 28 at, which were submitted by various seed companies in the UK. Cultivation at : The trial was sown on 27 April into 8 cm biodegradable pots in Melcourt compost, 2 seeds to each pot. The germinating sweetcorn plants were kept in the glasshouse for 4 weeks on C and were thinned (if both seeds germinated). Prior to planting the ground was prepared: On 17 May the drip line irrigation was installed and the landscape fabric was placed. On 23 May the bed was fertilised with: o Sulphate of Ammonia 50 g/m 2 o Sulphate of Potash 20 g/m 2 On May the trial was planted in Bed 5 on the trials field. Each entry was planted in a block and a guard row (from the same cultivar) was planted around the block to minimalize cross pollination. Final Report for Trial No Sweetcorn

3 Seedlings in the glasshouse on 18 May Planting on 25 May The trial was irrigated after planting (on May, 27 May) to help establishing the seedlings and in dry periods on 5 June, 10 June and 20 July. On the 21 July an electric fence was installed around the bed as the cobs were beginning to form. Even so, badgers managed to get into the bed on 5 August and eaten or destroyed the majority s from entries 25 and 26. The mature cobs were harvested on 15 August, 23 August and 1 September. RHS advice on growing your own sweetcorn can be found here: Recommendation for the Award of Garden Merit (AGM) The plants which fulfilled the AGM criteria during the trial and were considered to be worthy of receiving the award. The criteria which a plant needs to fulfil in order to receive the award are: excellent for ordinary use in appropriate conditions available of good constitution essentially stable in form and colour reasonably resistant to pests and diseases The plants which already had an AGM had to be re-confirmed to keep it; and if they didn t fulfil the above mentioned criteria and are out-classed by newer varieties, their AGM was rescinded. Hardiness rating H2 Temperature range: 1 ºC 5 ºC Category: Tender Cool or frost-free glasshouse Definition: Tolerant of low temperatures, but will not survive being frozen. Except in frost-free inner-city areas or coastal extremities, requires glasshouse conditions in winter, but can be grown outdoors once risk of frost is over. Brix reading Brix scale helps to determine the soluble solids (sugars, minerals) of the cob and to identify its potential sweetness (an aspect of quality). A higher brix means better flavour and better nutrient value. Brix of sweetcorn usually vary between 6 and 24, where: Poor Good Excellent Brix of sweetcorn Final Report for Trial No Sweetcorn

4 THE SWEETCORN TRIAL ASSESSMENT FORUM RECOMMENDED THE SOCIETY S AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT TO THE FOLLOWING ENTRIES: 'Goldcrest' AGM (H2) 2016 (Trial Entry 6) Sent by Kings Seeds. no. of length 373 g 320 g cm 20 cm No. cobs/plant 2 1 height 225 cm - Brix 17 - Forum comments: Supersweet. Well filled and uniform. Even sized cobs. Quite tall plant. Available from: Kings Seeds, Seed Parade, Simpsons Seeds, Tuckers, Unwins. 'Mirai Gold' AGM (H2) 2016 (Trial Entry 12 & 21) Sent by Pro-Veg Seeds (TN12) and Mr Fothergill s Seeds (TN21). weight/ cob no. of rows on cob length of cob No. cobs/ plant height of plant Entry TN g 300 g TN g 340 g TN12 & TN TN cm 18.3 cm TN cm 17.3 cm TN TN TN cm - TN cm - Brix TN TN Forum comments: Augmented supersweet. Long cobs. Taste is good, tender to eat. Grains are quite big. Fairly short plants. Available from: D T Brown, Mr Fothergill s Seeds, Pro-Veg Seeds, Unwins. Final Report for Trial No Sweetcorn

5 THE SWEETCORN TRIAL ASSESSMENT FORUM RE-CONFIRMED THE SOCIETY S AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT TO: 'Sparrow' AGM (H2) 2009 (Trial Entry 10) Sent by Mr Fothergill s Seeds. no. of length 288 g 300 g cm 18 cm No. cobs/plant 2 1 height 187 cm - Brix 16 - Forum comments: Xtra tender. Early. Very good shaped cob. 16, straight rows. Pericarp is thin, very tender. Grains are quite big. Very sweet. Good taste. Available from: Mr Fothergill s Seeds. 'Swift' AGM (H2) 2003 (Trial Entry 11) Sent by Kings Seeds. no. of length 393 g 290 g cm 20 cm No. cobs/plant height 201 cm - Brix 17 - Forum comments: Xtra tender. Very popular variety. Performs well. Very thin pericarp prone to damage. Very sweet. Available from: Chiltern Seeds, D T Brown, Kings Seeds, Mr Fothergill s Seeds, Simpsons Seeds, Suttons Seeds, Thompson & Morgan. Final Report for Trial No Sweetcorn

6 MIRAI WHITE M421 'Mirai 421W' AGM (H2) 2009 (Trial Entry 17) Sent by Pro-Veg Seeds. no. of length 371 g 280 g cm 18 cm No. cobs/plant height 214 cm - Brix 15 - Forum comments: Augmented supersweet. Lot of foliage, colour is great. Lot s. Has reputation for whiteness. Available from: Pro-Veg Seeds, Suttons Seeds, Thompson & Morgan. MIRAI PICNIC 'Mirai 003Y' AGM (H2) 2009 (Trial Entry 20) Sent by Pro-Veg Seeds. no. of length 309 g 220 g cm 13.3 cm No. cobs/plant 2 1 height 230 cm - Brix 17 - Forum comments: Yellow augmented supersweet. Most widely listed Mirai cultivar. Small cobs. Tall plants. Good cob fill. Available from: Dobies of Devon, D T Brown, Marshalls Seeds, Pro-Veg Seeds, Suttons Seeds. Final Report for Trial No Sweetcorn

7 'Lark' AGM (H2) 2003 (Trial Entry 22) Sent by Thompson & Morgan. no. of length 355 g 290 g cm 16 cm No. cobs/plant 2 1 height 211 cm - Brix 18 - Forum comments: Xtra tender. 16 rows. Quite tall. Widely grown by gardeners. Good variety. Available from: A L Tozer, Chiltern Seeds, D T Brown, Kings Seeds, Marshalls Seeds, Simpsons Seeds, Thompson & Morgan, Unwins. 'Marshall Honeydew' AGM (H2) 2009 (Trial Entry 23) Sent by Marshalls Seeds. no. of length 356 g 290 g cm 16.3 cm No. cobs/plant 2 1 height 197 cm - Brix 15 - Forum comments: Xtra tender. Nice leaves. Large seeds. Well filled. Available from: Marshalls Seeds. Final Report for Trial No Sweetcorn

8 'Earlibird' AGM (H2) 2003 (Trial Entry 25) Sent by A L Tozer. no. of length 310 g 340 g cm 19.3 cm No. cobs/plant 1 1 height 186 cm - Brix 9 - At measurements were taken from only 1 cob and a few damaged plants, as the majority has been destroyed by badgers. Forum comments: Supersweet. Early. Quite sweet. Badgers have got into the bed and eaten most of the cobs. The forum members had to rely on their experience with this cultivar and agreed that it should keep its AGM. Available from: A L Tozer, Chiltern Seeds, Dobies of Devon, Kings Seeds, MoreVeg, Simpsons Seeds, Suttons Seeds. 'Ovation' AGM (H2) 1996 (Trial Entry 28) Sent by A L Tozer. no. of length 384 g 340 g cm 18.7 cm No. cobs/plant 1 1 height 223 cm - Brix 15 - Forum comments: Supersweet. Quite an old variety. 12 rows. Nice straight rows. Quite thick skin. Quite big cobs. Available from: A L Tozer, Thompson & Morgan, MoreVeg. Final Report for Trial No Sweetcorn

9 THE SWEETCORN TRIAL ASSESSMENT FORUM RECOMMENDED THE SOCIETY S AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT, SUBJECT TO AVAILABILITY, TO THE FOLLOWING ENTRIES: It is the sender s responsibility to notify the Trials Office that seed has become available for home gardeners to buy. 'Mirai Music' AGM (H2) 2016 (Trial Entry 19) Sent by Pro-Veg Seeds. 370 g - no. of rows on cob length of cob cm No. cobs/plant 2 - height of plant 216 cm Brix 16 - Forum comments: Augmented supersweet. Bicolour. Attractive. Shorter cobs and very well filled. Very even. Nice sample. Very sweet. Not yet available. - - THE SWEETCORN TRIALS ASSESSMENT FORUM RECOMMENDED TO RESCIND THE SOCIETY S AWARD OF GARDEN MERIT FROM: 'Northern Xtra Sweet' AGM (H2) 1996 (Trial Entry 26) Sent by Thompson & Morgan. Forum comments: Supersweet. Very old variety. Still popular. Cold tolerant. Reliable for early production. Widely used commercially in other countries. A lot grown in Germany. Cob sticks out from wrapping leaves. Tough pericarp. Out-classed. 'Seville' AGM (H2) 2009 (Trial Entry 29) Sent by A L Tozer. Forum comments: Supersweet. Quite a tall plant. Mid-late variety. Sweet. Nice cobs. Outclassed. 'Sundance' AGM (H2) 1993 (Trial Entry 32) Sent by Sutton Seeds. Forum comments: Old, normal sugary variety. 14 rows. Rows are not straight. Bit starchy taste. Skin is tougher than newer varieties. Short plant. Out-classed. Final Report for Trial No Sweetcorn

10 Index of Plants in the Trial Trial Number Cultivar Name AGM Sender 1 Earliking Kings Seeds 2 Alojzia Pro-Veg Seeds 3 Primetime Pro-Veg Seeds 4 ACX SS7078Y D T Brown 5 Rising Sun Pro-Veg Seeds 6 Goldcrest Kings Seeds 7 Sweetstar Pro-Veg Seeds 8 ACX SS7403 RY D T Brown 9 Arnia Pro-Veg Seeds 10 Sparrow AGM 2009 H2 Mr Fothergill s 11 Swift AGM 2003 H2 Kings Seeds 12 Mirai Gold Pro-Veg Seeds 13 Mirai Mentor Pro-Veg Seeds 14 Mirai Maker Pro-Veg Seeds 15 Mirai 308BC Pro-Veg Seeds 16 Snogum Pro-Veg Seeds 17 MIRAI WHITE M421 'Mirai 421W' AGM 2009 H2 Pro-Veg Seeds 18 Mirai Meridian Pro-Veg Seeds 19 Mirai Music Pro-Veg Seeds 20 Mirai Picnic (M 003Y) AGM 2009 H2 Pro-Veg Seeds 21 Mirai Gold Mr Fothergill s 22 Lark AGM 2003 H2 Thompson & Morgan 23 Marshall Honeydew AGM 2009 H2 Marshalls Seeds 24 Aranka Pro-Veg Seeds 25 Earlibird AGM 2003 H2 A L Tozer 26 Northern Xtra Sweet AGM 1996 H2 Thompson & Morgan 27 Meteor Pro-Veg Seeds 28 Ovation AGM 1996 H2 A L Tozer 29 Seville AGM 2009 H2 A L Tozer 30 ZHY4739 OR Pro-Veg Seeds 31 Escalate Pro-Veg Seeds 32 Sundance AGM 1993 H2 Suttons Seeds Final Report for Trial No Sweetcorn

11 Sender details: A L Tozer, Pyports, Downside Bridge Rd, Cobham KT11 3EH, Tel , D T Brown, Bury Road, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 7PQ, Tel , Kings Seeds (EW King), Monks Farm, Colchester CO5 9PG, Tel , Mr Fothergill s Seeds, Gazeley Rd, Kentford, Suffolk CB8 7QB, Tel , Marshalls Seeds, Alconbury Hill, Huntingdon, Cambs PE28 4HY, Tel: , Pro-Veg Seeds, 6 Shingay Lane, Sawston, Cambridge CB22 3SS, Tel , Sutton Seeds, Woodview Road, Paignton, Devon TQ4 7NG, Tel: , Thompson & Morgan, Poplar Lane, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP8 3BU, Tel , Please note: Sources of seed for these cultivars may vary from year to year. Acknowledgements Cover photograph was taken by Liz Cowan. Pictures in cultivation section were taken by Eva Erhart. Pictures of the awarded sweetcorns were taken by Katy Simms. Source: Horticultural Trials and Relations, RHS Garden, Woking, Surrey GU23 6QB Tel: & trials@rhs.org.uk More information about RHS Trials and other Trials reports can be found on the RHS Website at Final Report for Trial No Sweetcorn