For Sweet Corn, the timing of growth stage progressions through the season is dependent on both the variety and environmental cues such as day length, or temperature. The Sweet Corn growing degree day model developed as part of the CROPTIME project at Oregon State University, uses heat units and time as a method to estimate plant phenological stages through the growing season. This can be helpful as a crop management tool, or to predict harvest timing.
Calculating Growing Degree Days
For this model, a lower temperature threshold of 44F and an upper threshold of 86F for the fresh varieties, Luscious and Sugar Pearl + Temptation, is used to calculate growing degree day accumulation beginning at the time of planting. For the processing varieties, 4001, Kokanee and Jubilee, a lower threshold of 50F is used. Growing degree days can be calculated from daily high and low temperatures, or via the Pest Prophet app, which uses hourly temperature data for a given field. This can be used to predict leaf and silk development, as well as harvest time harvest time, based on growing degree day accumulation.