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What's the yield effect of uneven corn heights?

Encyclopedia Article

Many corn fields across Iowa had significant variation in plant emergence and early-season growth within fields. Uneven emergence and plant heights are caused by several factors, including variation in soil temperature, seeding depth, residue distribution, soil crusting, and soil moisture, etc. Iowa producers dealt specifically with variable soil temperatures this year, which have now caused variable plant heights and vigor. How much can plant height vary before it causes a real yield loss? And based on this, should we have replanted more?

Category: 
Crop Production
Crop: 
Corn
Tags: 
uneven corn

Uneven corn management and prevention

June 17, 2016 9:27 AM
Blog Post

There aren’t great answers to contend with the root cause (pun intended) of the uneven corn this season. The unusual weather conditions that started last winter and extended into this spring, and long periods of stress magnify small differences within fields and improves the odds of seedling disease, insect injury, chemical injury, etc. Any of these factors can make the plant more susceptible to slow root and top growth.

Category: 
Crop Production
Tags: 
uneven corn
dry weather
crop stress
corn growth
corn development

Short Corn and Variable Growth

July 30, 2013
ICM News
Corn planting progress in Iowa

By Roger Elmore, Mahdi Al-Kaisi and Elwynn Taylor, Department of Agronomy
Content originally written and published in 2013

“Knee high by the fourth of July!” Some of us grew up with that old saying which either foreshadowed disaster or forecast bumper yields. If corn was knee high by the fourth, most thought it would mature before the first fall frost. That was good news! As we look back, the statement perhaps was valid back when the first target corn planting date was mid-May.

Category: 
Crop Production
Soils
Crop: 
Corn
Tags: 
late planting
soil temperature
Weather
uneven corn