Recovery, case production, and gross profit margin, hereafter called ‘processor variables’, are as important
metrics to processing sweet corn as grain yield is to field corn production. However, crop traits such as
ear number or ear mass alone are reported in sweet corn production research rather than processor
variables. The objective of this research was to determine the extent to which certain crop traits could
be used to predict variables important to productivity of sweet corn grown for processing. The data
used in this research reflected 22 different growing environments over an 8-year period representing 31
processing hybrids. Relations between processor variables and 17 crop traits (5 plant traits, 8 ear traits,
and 4 yield traits) were characterized. None of the crop traits adequately predicted recovery, defined
as the percentage of green ear mass (i.e. complete ears with husk leaves) represented by fresh kernel
mass. Case production, defined as cases of kernels per unit area, was strongly associated