Corn, soybeans and canola have entered the critical reproductive phase where the production of corn grain, soybean pods and canola kernels will be determined. If it’s really hot or the crop is under other stress, it can negatively affect reproduction. With rising temperatures and crushing heat waves, it is essential for farmers to understand how to approach these stressors to save their crop and yield.
Tom Koch, research manager at Beck’s Hybrids, and Wayne Fithian, agronomy manager at Rob-See-Co, shared what stressors they have seen so far this season. While storms through the Corn Belt and hot conditions have impacted crops, this season hasn’t seen anything out of the ordinary, according to Koch.
“One of the big stressors we saw were a lot of storms going through the Corn Belt here in the U.S.,” explains Koch. “We’ve gotten plenty of rain around pollination time, but leading into pollination, it may be a little short. So, just your typical environmental stressors. I don’t think it’s been a crazy year.”
The biggest factor that concerns Fithian is the delayed planting dates. In the May Crop Progress report from the USDA, 49 per cent of corn was planted, compared to the previous five-year average of 67 per cent. And 14 per cent of planted corn had emerged.
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