Abstract: Fresh maize (Zea mays) is widely cultivated throughout China. The stalk is a good forage resource, but few studies have focused on the yield and feed quality dynamics of the stalk after harvesting the fresh ears. In this study, the experimental material was the fresh corn variety Sukenuo No. 5, cultivated in Jiangsu. The yield of the stalk, leaf, stem, and sheath at different nodes, and the feed quality-related traits were determined at 1 week, 2 weeks, and 3 weeks after harvesting fresh corn ears, both for the plants that retained fresh ears and harvested fresh ears. The results indicated that for the plants that harvested the fresh ears, the dry matter yield of the stalk and the content of nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) in the stalk increased after ear harvest, and both those parameters peaked at 2 weeks after ear harvest. The NSC content was 39.56%, and was mainly concentrated in the top 6th node and its surrounding nodes. The main component of NSC was water soluble carbohydrates. The contents of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber increased over time, and both were concentrated in basal nodes. The crude protein content decreased over time, and it was concentrated in the upper and middle leaves and sheath. In plants that retained the fresh ears, the dry matter yield of the stalk decreased over time, and the dry matter yield, NSC content, and in vitro dry matter digestibility were significantly lower than those of plants in the harvested-ear treatments (P<0.01). The NDF content was significantly higher in the plants that retained the fresh ears than in those in the harvested-ear treatments (P<0.01). In conclusion, our results show that picking fresh ears promotes dry matter and NSC accumulation in maize stalks, that the suitable harvest and utilization period of fresh maize stalks as forage is 2 weeks after harvesting fresh maize ears, and that the cutting height should be above the 10th node.

Key words: fresh corn, stalk, plant parts, harvest methods, feeding quality