Factors that stress corn throughout the growing season can lead to stalk rots, which can lead to yield loss due to premature plant death or lodging. Understanding stalk rots risk factors and management practices are critical.

Heavy wind and rain late in the growing season can dramatically affect corn. Flooding, downed plants and disease are just a few of the potential management challenges related to extreme weather. Consider your options for recovering as much value as possible and take precautions when storing and feeding damaged corn.

Greensnap occurs when wind causes corn stalk breakage. This yield-robbing phenomenon is most prevalent in the central and western Corn Belt, where high winds are common. Corn is most susceptible to greensnap during the five- to eight-leaf stages and again from the 12th-leaf stage to one week after silking. During these rapid growth stages, lignin is not deposited into the new cells, leaving them brittle and vulnerable.

A bacterial disease that has been prevalent in areas of the western Corn Belt for decades, Goss’s wilt has expanded to additional areas of the central and eastern Corn Belt in recent years. If infections occur early in the season, during key crop development times, yield potential can be reduced by up to 50 percent.

Hailstorms regularly strike growing corn fields. But not all damage is created equal. Know how to accurately assess yield loss.