Wind Damaged Corn

In the past week a series of storms rolled through eastern Iowa, western Illinois and southern Wisconsin bringing with it strong winds that caused large areas of damage to corn fields. The majority of the damage was in the form of root lodging but greensnap and hail damage has also been observed in some fields.During situations of high winds that damage corn fields, growers are often concerned about whether or not stalks will straighten and what levels of yield loss they are looking at. In these situations, corn still grows to sunlight, just like all plants do. Even with shallow brace roots, plant hormones will tell the terminal to grow skyward. The amount of recovery is often remarkable and can happen within three days.

Yield loss from lodging is typically caused by an inability to harvest what is there. Light lodging may results in 5 percent loss, while severe lodging could represent 30 percent loss. High loss is from lodging caused by plants that domino onto each other and cannot access sunlight to grow upward. Lodged corn also creates a haven for disease.
Picture: Note how the corn has up righted itself but is “Goose-necked”. This can lead to difficult harvest conditions and mechanical harvest losses.

Evaluate the Damage
When strong storms damage corn crops, there are a few things growers should consider:
• Growers should first assess the field and understand the extent of the damage. The damages of downed corn ranges from minor, which can still result in good yield, to extreme or green-snapped situations, which often result in total loss.
• Allow 5-10 days for the crop to recover and stand back up.
• Examine roots for rootworm larvae feeding that may have enhanced root lodging.
• Once the extent of damage has been assessed, know what is happening in the lower part of the canopy – look for disease potential and evaluate your next steps.
• Assess potential best-management practices to reduce any stress to crop.

What should growers be concerned about regarding Plant Health and disease in this situation?

During situations of downed corn, there are some concerns regarding Plant Health and disease that growers should be on the lookout for. These include:

• Stalk rot due to shading and fungal organisms coming from the soil to the lower leaves of the stalk.
• Gray leaf spot.
• Tar Spot
• Anthracnose.
• Crop stress, which can negatively affect photosynthesis, stalk strength and growth efficiency, ultimately leading to yield loss .What steps can growers take to manage disease and salvage yield potential in downed corn?

When you have downed corn, the first step is to evaluate the crop stand and understand what you are dealing with. If needed, discuss the situation with a retailer or consultant for the best approach, given the situation.

Our first recommendation is to allow the corn to stand back up.

Once the crop gets to the tassel stage, apply Veltyma® or Headline AMP® fungicide to protect the crop from disease.

Research shows that BASF Fungicides also provides Plant Health benefits, including standability and stalk strength.
Evaluate your adjuvants and the amount of water volume used in the application. Both help penetrate the canopy for better coverage.

Rates: Veltyma @ 7 –10 fl oz/A, Headline AMP @ 10 – 14.4 fl oz/A

Optimum Application Timing: After plants recover or VT (tassel) to R2 (blister) stage corn.
Coverage: Air: 2 or more GPA.