Food Products

Tillers are vegetative or reproductive shoots that grow from the base of grass plants. Corn is a highly specialized grass plant. While tillers are an essential part of wheat, barley, and oat production, they are perceived to be far less desirable in corn. They are commonly referred to as “suckers,” because of the old wives tale that they “suck” the nutrients from the main stem. Research from the University of
Illinois has shown that this is not the case. Many agronomists agree that the overall effect of tillers is usually neutral. There may be some benefit to tillers if corn is produced for silage because more dry matter is produced per unit area.