What is Ear tip fill?
The florets at the ear tip are the last to produce silks, so they are the first to suffer when heat, drought or nutrient shortage hits during flowering. Ears with bare tips therefore often signal stress during flowering or grain fill.
Varieties that fill to the tip carry more kernels on the same ear length. The trait is influenced by plant density and growing conditions as well as by genetics.
Why does it matter when choosing seed?
A variety with good tip fill helps hold kernel numbers per ear even in stressful years, which feeds directly into grain yield.
CasSeed varieties related to this topic
The relevant characteristics are listed on each variety’s technical sheet.
FAO 700 · CRM 120 · Grain and silage maize seed
A late-maturity grain hybrid with fast dry-down and outstanding standability.
FAO 700 · CRM 118 · Grain and silage maize seed
A flinty red-grained hybrid with high protein and complete tip fill.
FAO 700 · CRM 118 · Grain and silage maize seed
Complete tip fill, high test weight and a hybrid that rewards denser planting.
FAO 500–550 · Hybrid maize seed
Early, drought-tolerant and widely adaptable — the leader of its maturity group.
Related terms
Kernel row number and kernels per row
Kernel row number is the count of kernel rows around the ear; kernels per row is the number of kernels in one row from the base to the tip.
Drought tolerance
Drought tolerance is a plant’s ability to maintain growth and yield under water shortage better than other varieties.
Plant density
Plant density is the number of plants growing per unit area, usually expressed as plants per decare or plants per hectare.