Update from the Field: A Lot of Corn in Those Fields
Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on December 04, 2018
This post may reference products and/or services only available to our Retail Farm Center customers. For more information contact your Territory Manager at The Andersons.
The USDA’s November 26th Crop Progress Report showed the U.S. corn harvest at 94 percent complete, down slightly from the five-year average of 96 percent. Figure 1 shows a chart of each state’s harvest progress from Farm Bureau. One common thread with 2017 and this year’s harvest is excessive rain and fungal infected stalks.
Figure 1: Iowa Farm Bureau shows state-by-state breakdown of percentage of corn harvested based on the November 25th USDA Crop Progress Report
Once a fungal disease infects a corn plant, it starts feeding on and killing the tissue surrounding the infection site. This infection will spread throughout the whole plant, usually starting from the ground, moving up, and eventually killing the plant prematurely. If someone was crop scouting from the pickup truck at a speed of 50-60 MPH, this rapid takeover of the plant by fungus would resemble nitrogen deficiency. There are reports of crop advisors blaming the severity of this year’s crop logging due to nitrogen deficiency, specifically applying nitrogen pre-plant. This is not only wrong, but is a disservice to the producer for not properly diagnosing the problem.
Fungus was the main reason for the premature death of our corn crop and the massive logging problems producers have faced this year. Two main fungal diseases, grey leaf spot and northern leaf blight, have caused the corn plant to die prematurely. These fungi allow microorganisms to enter the stalk and start breaking down the tissue, reducing the ability of the corn crop to stand up to wind and/or rain. Fungal diseases not only reduce yield by being a drag on plant heath, but, once the corn stalk falls to the ground, grain losses can go from bad to very bad in no time.
A good example is a Walton Farm Center customer. This farmer was worried about his corn crop, and asked me to walk his fields with him in late August. He had not applied fungicide and his corn was being attacked by grey leaf spot. We hand checked his fields and estimated a yield of 235 bu/ac. The crop had suffered from being infected, but I had estimated the loss around 20 bu/ac. I came to this conclusion from past studies and was proven correct with the 2018 trial that is shown in figure 2. A week ago, I spoke with the same customer and he told me my original estimate was close, but since his corn had completely logged, he lost an additional 30 bu/ac.
Figure 2: Fungicide trial north of Logansport, IN. This shows a treated area in the middle of the field surrounded on both sides with a check. The treated area gained 20bu/ac with one application of Trivapro.
In conclusion, fungicides are cheap insurance against foul wet and windy weather that can promote stalk lodging. Keep the plant healthy throughout the growing season by applying a high-quality fertilizer, such as OverPass® CF, and a fungicide. If we keep the plant healthy and alive longer throughout late summer and early fall, the corn crop will be less likely to lose yield due to lodging.
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Dave Dyson is a regional agronomist for The Andersons’ Farm Centers which are located throughout Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. He is an Indiana native and grew up on a dairy farm in Miami County. A graduate of Purdue University with a degree in Crop & Soil Science, Dave has a deep knowledge of various agronomic topics and is committed to helping growers improve their crops. If you have any questions, Dave can be reached at david_dyson@andersonsinc.com.
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