Make an objective assessment, not a hasty decision
This field is leaning over, roots are intact and there is little green snap.
When it comes to the middle part of the season, there is always a risk of wind and hail damage to crops. Many times there are only a handful of growers that experience significant crop losses. However, to these growers there is nothing more disheartening then to find a crop decimated by Mother Nature.
When asked to assist with an assessment, I prefer to wait a week and then go and check due to the fact that over the years I have learned that in most cases there is an exaggerated assessment immediately and a week of growth can really make the difference in determining options. Young corn prior to V9 will take a lot of leaf removal before a yield impact. In my experience with 20% damage growers assume it is a complete loss when in fact at that level little to perhaps 4% damage might result. Refer to the National Corn Handbook, “Assessing Hail Damage to Corn” worksheet to balance research with applied use in the field. Another useful source of information, from a Purdue newsletter is “Options for Hail-Damaged Corn Fields”.
Another factor to consider is that with light now shining to the soil more weeds might germinate. So there is the need to inspect fields and make decisions to assist growers in determining if another run over the field to apply additional weed control products is warranted.
With wind damage, some fields are simply leaning over and the roots are firmly attached while in other cases the roots are pulled up. Green snapped stalks or corn with the roots torn out indicate that the show is over. Leaning corn, in most cases, will right itself if done prior to tasseling and be acceptable for harvest. At this point growers need to assess what percent of the stalks are snapped or have roots torn from soil? What is the planted population? All of these factors need to be weighed to make a decision. For example, in one case, a field with 9 foot corn about V13 with 30% snapped off with a population of 42,000 ppa of corn left about 28,000 ppa leaning. So in that field it was probably best to leave the crop for a week and most likely it will be acceptable to go to harvest. A different field, less than a mile away, at about the same stage of growth, had 30,000 ppa and had 50% green snap with 50% leaning with about half the field affected. So in that case it might be prudent to consider harvesting and replanting.
The take home here is that typically the damage is not as dramatic as it may seem. By checking some key factors such as the percentage of damage, root and stem fitness, and most important stage of growth, a better management decision can be arrived at that is acceptable given these types of events.
Source : psu.edu