Managing Lodged Cereal Crops

Lodging is one of the most common issues across the prairies. Growers can use tools such as plant growth hormones (PGRs) or select varieties with good lodging ratings to reduce lodging incidents, however, with the wet conditions and storms, lodging may still occur in some fields. Lodging causes delayed dry down, higher pre-harvest sprouting risks, reduced combining speed and higher disease risks such as FHB. This creates a challenging harvest situation.

Types of Lodging in Cereals

Before discussing lodging management, let’s take a brief look at the different types of lodging.

Lodging occurs when the stems of a crop have completely or partially fallen over from their normal vertical position. There are two types of lodging that occur in cereal crops:

ROOT LODGING

• Root lodging occurs at the crown area (plant part at or near soil surface). The stems are straight and intact, but the plant is leaning from the crown area. It is the most common form of lodging and tends to occur earlier in the season due to disturbance of the root system.

STEM LODGING

• Stem lodging occurs due to the bending or breaking of lower internodes. It is more likely to be induced by storms, including high wind, rain or hail events. It can also occur due to damage of wheat stem sawfly. Stem lodging usually occur later in season, when the crop is drying down.

When lodging occurs, what tools can be used to harvest the field and minimize risks?

HARVEST DIRECTION

• Assess the lodged area first. Estimate the angle of lodging and which direction the crop is lodged. Generally, harvesting in the direction against the heads (with heads facing you) is most efficient for picking up the crop. However, it can be very time consuming if one can only harvest in one direction. Alternatively, harvesting perpendicular to the direction the crop is lodged helps untangle the crop and pick up the heads.
• Avoid harvesting in the same direction as lodging. This may cause the heads to be stuck under the cutter bar instead of being picked up.

USE CROP LIFTERS

• Crop lifter attachments are available for a few different header types. They aid with getting underneath the lodged plants and lifting them up for the cutter bar to cut the heads. The drop height of crop lifters can be adjusted to just above the soil to pick up the crop without digging.