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.

It is a common belief that high heat and humidity are ideal for corn growth. In reality, high temperatures, especially high nighttime temperatures, can reduce corn yield potential by increasing respiration.

Zipper ears, or ears with missing kernel rows, are a result of stress during pollination or grain fill. Ears affected by zippering have kernels that developed poorly or more slowly than other kernels or have ovules that aborted shortly after pollination. It’s important to understand how and why zipper ears occur and how to minimize their occurrence in the future.

Northern corn rootworm (NCRW) is one of the most damaging corn pests in North America. Because the NCRW typically has a one-year life cycle, rotating corn with another crop has been a successful management strategy. Unfortunately, some populations of NCRW have successfully adapted to a corn soybean rotation and now have a two-year life cycle. This is called extended diapause because the eggs remain dormant in the soil for almost two years before hatching.

Flooding affects fields differently based on a variety of factors. Manage flooded corn to minimize damage and ensure optimum plant health and yields.

It can be difficult to schedule irrigation, herbicide application and harvest if you don’t have a good handle on corn maturity. Identifying the milkline and blacklayer will help gauge the stage of corn growth and estimate physiological maturity.

Corn rootworm is one of the most damaging pests in the Corn Belt. Don't let corn rootworm rob your yields. Scout for the pest by digging for larvae. Jeff Housman, Mycogen Seeds customer agronomist, walks through how to do root digs to find corn rootworm to evaluate the damage in your fields.

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.

Warm, moist conditions from July to September can cause increased disease incidence in corn. Recent studies have show potential economic benefits from foliar fungicide applications. Fungicide treatments can give protective or curative benefits for corn diseases such as: gray leaf spot, common rust, eyespot and antracnose. These diseases can limit photosynthesis due to tissue death. Loss of leaf tissue also may result in grain production loss or harvest loss due to weakened stalk strength and harvestability issues.

Several methods provide growers with a reasonable estimate of corn hybrids’ relative maturity, but differences among rating systems sometimes confuse growers. Are you familiar with each method?

The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is an invasive species that is causing economic damage to fruit, vegetable and agronomic crops in the Mid-Atlantic states. The insect now is expanding its range westward across the Corn Belt.

The final application of irrigation water can help corn reach peak yield potential. Manage your crops with effective and responsible use of water resources.

Southern rust is a common threat to corn crops across the southern United States. The disease damages crops in the Corn Belt only about once every five years, but when it does yields may be cut by more than 40 percent.

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

Nutrient deficiency symptoms are not always caused by a lack of nutrients in the soil. Other factors can be to blame, such as poor root development, unfavorable soil conditions or weather. Plant tissue sampling helps identify the problem and determine corrective action.