Have you ever wondered just exactly how your corn develops in the cob? Understanding how corn makes a cob, successful kernels, and packs in starch can be a key component of an agronomic plan.

This top part is the tassel, and that is the male part of the plant, says Sara Meidlinger, market development agronomist for Pride Seeds. Then we have the ear here, its going to develop silks, and its the female part of the plant.

In this episode of Corn School, Meidlinger gives us an overview of how pollination happens and what to expect during a corn crops reproductive stages.

The tassel will emerge and start to shed pollen, and kernels in the ears will shoot up a silk. Every kernel in a cob starts from a developing a silk, which is then fertilized by pollen from the tassel. A pollen tube develops, where the male genetics will travel down the silk towards the kernel. The whole process will take about seven to 10 days. Peak pollen shed from the tassel happens about three to four days after the process has started.

Meidlinger suggests pulling off some ears and getting familiar with your crop over the next couple of weeks. There are six stages that get that cob of corn to maturity:

If you happen to come across European corn borer or cutworm perhaps youve had corn heavy in the rotation it might be a good opportunity to switch to a different hybrid. While youre checking on your corns maturity, its a good time to scout for any insect issues, too.

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Corn School: The birds and the bees of corn that, is - RealAgriculture

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