Corn (Zea mays L.) Plant Growth and Yield Response to Lipo-Chitooligosaccharide (LCO).

LCO Promoter Technology, currently incorporated in the Optimize® brand of products, is widely used in the USA and Canada to provide enhanced growth and yield for in-furrow or seed treatment of legumes such as soybean, peanut, pea, lentil, and alfalfa. Novozymes BioAg is evaluating LCO responses in non-legumes, including corn (maize). Corn is one of the most important feed grains in the world with increasing use for ethanol production. LCO has improved corn yield as exhibited by both in-furrow commercial production trials and seed treatment greenhouse and field trials. Greenhouse seed treatment showed increased leaf chlorophyll and overall plant dry weight for corn seedlings. In replicated field trials, treatment of corn seed with LCO helped increase yield. From 2009 to 2011 the average yield increase recorded over 65 sites was a very significant (a = 0.05%) response of 4.0 bu/ac. Improvements in emergence, early seedling vigor and overall plant dry biomass from LCO treatment of the seed led to higher plant vigor and potential yield.