Quantifying Yield Attributes of Spring-Grown Sweet Corn Cultivars (Bicolor, White, and Yellow) in the Southeastern United States: Part I

A 2-year field evaluation of bicolor, white, and yellow sweet corn ( Zea mays var. saccharata ) cultivars was conducted in the southeastern United States during Spring 2022 and Spring 2024. This research aimed to evaluate the yield performance of commercial supersweet corn cultivars across three kernel color market segments. The experiment was conducted at the Hort Hill Research Farm on the University of Georgia Tifton campus using 10 bicolor, five white, and five yellow cultivars. Among bicolor cultivars, significant differences were observed for all measured traits. ‘Obsession’ (484 boxes per acre), ‘Seminole Sweet’ (454 boxes per acre), ‘Redemption’ (397 boxes per acre), and ‘BSS1075’ (393 boxes per acre) produced the highest marketable yields. Furthermore, ‘Obsession’, ‘Seminole Sweet’, and ‘BSS1075’ have ear characteristics that are well-suited for shipper sweetcorn production (overall length <11.1 inches, ear length >7 inches, ear width <2.2 inches, shank length <4 inches, and blank tip <0.5 inches). However, because of its excessive ear size, ‘Redemption’ may be better suited for the fresh local market segment or fall production, or it may benefit from increased planting density to lower ear size. The highest percentage of marketable ears was achieved with ‘BSS8021’ (94.1%), ‘Redemption’ (93.9%), and ‘Obsession’ (87.5%), indicating a lower incidence of unmarketable ears. In the white sweet corn group, no statistically significant differences were detected among cultivars for any of the measured ear traits or yield parameters. In contrast, yellow cultivars differed significantly in total length, ear width, and shank length. ‘GSS1170’ outperformed all other yellow cultivars for ear width and lower unmarketable ears, while ‘SC1336’, ‘Astronaut’, and ‘Passion’ recorded significantly higher numbers of unmarketable ears. Total ear counts also differed among yellow cultivars, with ‘SC1336’ (17.9 ears/plot) and ‘Passion’ (17.8 ears/plot) producing the highest number of ears, while ‘GSS1170’ had significantly fewer (12.5 ears/plot). Based on these findings, ‘Obsession’, ‘Seminole Sweet’, and ‘BSS1075’ are recommended bicolor cultivars for the shipper market because of high yield and favorable ear traits. ‘BSS8021’ and ‘Redemption’ had the highest percentage of marketable ears and higher yield stability for stress-prone conditions. Among yellow cultivars, GSS1170 showed good ear morphology and fewer unmarketable ears, but it had extralarge ears and longer shanks. Therefore, ‘Redemption’ and ‘GSS1170’, with their larger ear size, may be better suited for fall or local markets. Conversely, because the white sweet corn cultivars did not differ significantly in any measured yield or ear size parameter, specific cultivar recommendations should be based on ear quality for spring production in the southeastern United States.