By Trey Stephens and Vipin Kumar et.al
Corn is one of Nebraska’s most important crops, with more than 10 million acres planted each year. Despite advances in hybrid performance and harvesting technology, harvest loss remains an unavoidable reality. While a few scattered kernels may not seem consequential at first glance, these lost seeds often lead to significant volunteer corn infestations the following year, posing serious agronomic and economic challenges in corn-soybean and other rotational systems (Figure 2). Nebraska has about 3.5 million acres under corn after corn rotation. Management of volunteer corn in corn is a challenge (Figure 3).
Our recent multi-county study in Nebraska highlights the extent of corn harvest losses and how these losses directly relate to volunteer corn infestation in subsequent seasons. The findings not only provide a benchmark for expected harvest loss in Nebraska conditions, but also serve as a call to action for growers to proactively manage both their harvesting operations and post-harvest control strategies.
Why Harvest Loss Matters
Corn harvest loss can be categorized into pre-harvest and mechanical losses. Pre-harvest loss results from extreme weather events like hailstorm and high winds, green snap or stalk rot causing ears to drop before harvest. Mechanical loss typically occurs at the combine due to improper settings or operator error, with kernels lost at the header, threshing unit or during grain separation.
Source : unl.edu