Credit: Jessica Veenstra
Rachel Veenstra, a doctoral student at Kansas State University, checks tiller development on corn plants. Corn is part of the grass family, which commonly creates “tillers” as part of their development. Tillers were thought to reduce grain yield. Each of her hands is holding a tiller stalk away from the central, main corn stalk. Some of the tillers are removed as part of a study on the effects of corn tillers on grain yield.