Difference between revisions of "Corn plant"

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{{Info|The corn plant is a player-growable food crop with a high yield, but also long growing cycle. Corn can't be sown in hydroponics. A mature corn plant yields 27 pieces of [[corn]].}}
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{{Info|The corn plant is a player-growable food crop with a very high yield, but also a long growing cycle. Corn can't be sown in hydroponics. A mature corn plant yields 27 pieces of [[corn]].}}
 
===Growing===
 
===Growing===
 
Corn plants have a base growing time of 11.3 days, need a minimum soil fertility of 50%, and have a fertility sensitivity rating of 100%. The following table details how long it takes for corn plants to grow in each growable ground type, factoring in the plant resting time and being in ideal growing conditions:
 
Corn plants have a base growing time of 11.3 days, need a minimum soil fertility of 50%, and have a fertility sensitivity rating of 100%. The following table details how long it takes for corn plants to grow in each growable ground type, factoring in the plant resting time and being in ideal growing conditions:
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Corn has an equivalent food production rate when compared to rice, and does not suffer the downtime between multiple harvests that rice fields deal with. In a moderate climate ordinary soil will yield only one yearly harvest of corn, with spare time for a potential potato or rice crop. Due to corn's long growing time it is at the highest risk of being burned, stalled by bad weather, raided by animals or killed in an event. These factors make corn too risky for regular soil and a nearly useless crop on gravel. Its true strength is revealed in rich soil. Corn's high fertility bonus will enhance growing time to be comparable to [[potato plant|potatoes]], guaranteeing a yearly harvest and during favorable conditions has potential for a second harvest.
  
Corn's practically negligible yield per day advantage over rice, combined with corn's significantly longer growing cycle, makes corn arguably the least viable food crop in the game: inconsistent food supply, and the long growing cycle makes corn susceptible to crop loss (e.g. blight), and the latter will also be difficult to recover from.
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Colonies are by no means obligated to grow corn to 100% and indeed there will be times when corn has to be quickly harvested with disappointing results. These factors make corn an unreliable crop to entrust to the colony's food supply. However when fertile soil and good weather are abundant, corn is a quick investment and its harvests are unrivaled. Indeed the greatest difficulty when managing corn is the hauling effort needed for the huge harvest! Corn's exceptional shelf life means that the colony does not need to invest in freezer space for corn, as even the slightest winter will keep corn fresh until next year's harvest. Thus a corn harvest only needs to be placed in a simple shed or under an outdoor roof.
  
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Colonies looking for a more predictable and reliable food supply should invest in [[potato_plant|potatoes]]. Colonies that need food ''now'' should instead grow [[rice_plant|rice]].
  
The only real advantages that corn plants have over other food crops is that corn has a long shelf life, and corn plants are less labor-intensive for growers - but hauling labor is arguably higher since you're hauling huge amounts of food in one go, rather than smaller amounts of food over a longer period of time.
 
 
 
Therefore, it's only really advisable to use corn if you're experiencing a severe grower shortage in larger colonies, and if you're unable to make [[pemmican]] for whatever reason, or lack a freezer and aren't expecting to get one in a long time - although both are easily obtainable early-game anyway.
 
  
  

Revision as of 02:52, 12 February 2018

Corn plant

Corn plant a.png

A tall grain plant which produces ears of soft, edible seeds. While corn takes a long time to grow, it yields lots of food compared to other crops. Harvested corn takes a long time to spoil.


Type
PlantsPlants

Base Stats

Flammability
1
Max Hit Points
150

Stat Modifiers

All information here is up-to-date as of Alpha 17b.


The corn plant is a player-growable food crop with a very high yield, but also a long growing cycle. Corn can't be sown in hydroponics. A mature corn plant yields 27 pieces of corn.

Growing

Corn plants have a base growing time of 11.3 days, need a minimum soil fertility of 50%, and have a fertility sensitivity rating of 100%. The following table details how long it takes for corn plants to grow in each growable ground type, factoring in the plant resting time and being in ideal growing conditions:

Ground Type Gravel Soil Rich Soil Hydroponics
Fertility (%) 70 100 140 230
Grow Time (days) 27.88 19.52 13.94 -
Base Yield/day[1] 0.97 1.38 1.94 -
  1. Per plant


Corn plants have the highest yield per day out of all growable food crops in the game when grown in rich soil; beating rice by around 2%. However, corn's minimal advantage over rice makes no real difference except in gravel, where potatoes still rule supreme - and rice in hydroponics also eclipses corn in rich soil.


Food Production

The following table shows how many corn plants it takes to sustain one colonist, but only factors in the nutritional value of the yield, and the yield per day:

Ground Type Gravel Soil Rich Soil Hydroponics
Raw 34 24 17 -
Lavish[1] 21 15 11 -
Paste 13 9 7 -
Fine[2] 11 8 6 -
  1. Also applies to 100% vegetarian simple meals and packaged survival meals
  2. Also applies to pemmican

Corn has an equivalent food production rate when compared to rice, and does not suffer the downtime between multiple harvests that rice fields deal with. In a moderate climate ordinary soil will yield only one yearly harvest of corn, with spare time for a potential potato or rice crop. Due to corn's long growing time it is at the highest risk of being burned, stalled by bad weather, raided by animals or killed in an event. These factors make corn too risky for regular soil and a nearly useless crop on gravel. Its true strength is revealed in rich soil. Corn's high fertility bonus will enhance growing time to be comparable to potatoes, guaranteeing a yearly harvest and during favorable conditions has potential for a second harvest.

Colonies are by no means obligated to grow corn to 100% and indeed there will be times when corn has to be quickly harvested with disappointing results. These factors make corn an unreliable crop to entrust to the colony's food supply. However when fertile soil and good weather are abundant, corn is a quick investment and its harvests are unrivaled. Indeed the greatest difficulty when managing corn is the hauling effort needed for the huge harvest! Corn's exceptional shelf life means that the colony does not need to invest in freezer space for corn, as even the slightest winter will keep corn fresh until next year's harvest. Thus a corn harvest only needs to be placed in a simple shed or under an outdoor roof.

Colonies looking for a more predictable and reliable food supply should invest in potatoes. Colonies that need food now should instead grow rice.


Economy

The corn plant's raw product is corn, which has a market value of 1.5 silver. The refined product with the largest profit margin is a fine meal, having a 37.14% profit margin. The following table details silver per day, per plant. It only factors in the 50% selling markdown, the market value of the products, and the yield per day:

Ground Type Gravel Soil Rich Soil Hydroponics
Raw 0.73 1.04 1.45 -
Refined[1] 2.32 3.32 4.65 -
  1. Assuming a vegetarian ingredient bottleneck. Your mileage may vary.


As is the trend with food crops; corn is fairly decent for economy with its refined product when in a vegetarian ingredient-bound situation.