Corn and Soybean Survival in Saturated Soils

Areas across the Midwest have received heavy precipitation over the past couple of weeks and questions have arisen about what effect may occur on germinated seed under these adverse conditions. Multiple factors (soil type, drainage, length of saturation) ensure that this discussion is never black and white, however, we can provide a few simple guidelines and scouting recommendations as water recedes over the coming days.Effects of saturated or flooded conditions on current crop development stages.After flood waters recede, evaluate the health of any germinated seeds not yet emerged. With corn you see both the radicle (root) and coleoptile (shoot) have a white to cream color. That indicates a healthy seedling that should resume growth as the water recedes and temperatures rise. Brown discoloration and lack of seed firmness (mushy feel) indicate the seed likely has lost viability. Soybean can generally survive being under water for 48 hours. Four days or more of flooding stresses the crop, delays plant growth, and causes the plants to be shorter with fewer nodes. Flooding for 6 days or more can depress yields significantly, while flooding for a week or more may result in significant (or entire) losses of stand.

Of course, other factors like soil crusting, seedling disease, and nitrogen loss must be taken into consideration as flooded or saturated fields continue forward. For further local evaluations of flood impacted fields, contact your local BASF representative.