By Jonathan LaPorte and Maninder Singh
The spring season of the 2026 crop year has been off to a slow start with cool weather and wet field conditions. Planting progress on corn is currently trailing about 5% behind the five-year average, after trailing by 11% the previous week. Significant emergence has also not been widely reported even on those acres that have been planted. As warmer weather appears on the horizon, corn rows should start to become more visible and provide early indications of plant health and uniformity. With higher-than-normal input costs, it is important to start preparing now to make in-field decisions that will maintain yield and profit potential.
Delayed planting often means that windows to get in the fields are fewer and less than ideal. A lack of ideal conditions means that when corn emerges, it may have uneven or poor plant stands and unhealthy or damaged plants. If stands or plant health are poor enough, a critical decision is whether to replant. Once the field is established, another crucial decision is to identify any early plant health stresses, such as nutrient deficiency.
Delayed emergence and replant decisions
According to North Central Regional Extension Publication No. 344, if the poor stand varies row-to-row, replanting is unlikely to increase yields. There is also a chance that plants may continue to emerge over the next 1 or 2 weeks. If emergence continues over this period, yield could increase 5%. Consider growth stages between early and late emerged plants to assess challenges, especially challenges that may arise for in-season fertilizer side-dress, pollination and harvest timing or moisture content.
Source : msu.edu