By Sherry Hoyer
This summer has been both hot and wet, with consistent rainfall across much of the state. These conditions have led to some unusual challenges in corn fields, including wrapped tassels and southern rust. Both have raised questions about their potential impacts on corn silage.
Wrapped tassels
Wrapped tassels are not a common occurrence in Iowa or the Midwest. As noted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach cropping systems specialist Mark Licht in this recent ICM blog post, “Are you seeing wrapped tassels shedding pollen? We are, too!" he has only observed this phenomenon once in a 20-plus year career. Yet this year, wrapped tassels have been widely reported across the region.
Wrapped tassels are believed to result from a combination of high temperatures, abundant moisture and nutrient availability. These conditions can cause the tassel to emerge before the flag leaf has had time to fully unfurl, similar to rapid growth syndrome seen in early vegetative stages.
For silage production as in grain production, the main concern lies in potential pollination problems. Starch content, a key component of silage quality, comes from the ear, so poor pollination can lower starch levels in the final feed. While other nutrient components and total yield are not expected to be significantly affected, there is limited research on its implications due to the rarity of this issue.
Source : iastate.edu