C.O.R.N. Newsletter: 2019:18
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Mid to Late June Prevented Planting Decisions
Consistent rains across Ohio and the Corn Belt continue to delay planting progress as the June 17 USDA Planting Progress report showed that 68% of intended corn acres and 50% of intended soybean acres have been planted in Ohio. Nationwide, roughly 27 million acres of corn and soybeans will either be planted or filed under prevented planting insurance. Across Ohio, the Final Plant Date (FPD) for soybeans is June 20. Soybeans can be planted after the FPD, but a one percent reduction in the insurance guarantee occurs. This brief article outlines economic considerations for soybean prevented planting under three scenarios: planting soybeans on corn acres, planting soybeans late, and taking prevent plant soybeans. There are three sections to this article: a brief market update on corn and soybeans, a policy update on Market Facilitation Payments, and then finally the scenarios listed above. This article contains the best information available as of release, but conditions may change. Farmers should check with their crop insurance agents when making prevented planting decisions. OSU Extension is not an authorizing body of federal crop insurance policies.
Market Update
The World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates released on June 11, 2019, provided a mixed bag of news for corn prices, but the bullish factors outweighed the bearish factors and the December futures price increased 15 cents by market close. The Outlook Board lowered acreage 3 million acres reflective of relative returns from prevent plant and revenue over variable costs. However, the 10 bu. /acre drop in the national yield, reflective of the late planting across the Corn-Belt, provided possibly the biggest shock to the corn market. Most analysists had a decrease in final yield, but few expected a 10-bushel decrease down to 166 bushels per acre in the June WASDE- a month that rarely sees a decrease in yield given the length of season left. The market seems to have now figured in a yield decline and a reduction of 5-7 million acres. Further declines in yield during the growing season and increases in prevented planting acres favor price increases heading into fall. However, these are still largely unknown factors and market softness could happen as well.
The mixed bag continued with bearish signals in the corn balance sheet- corn exports continue to weaken on large to near record production quantities in Southern Hemisphere and currency exchange rates working against U.S. grain sellers. Strong yields in South America and the price differential may significantly reduce U.S. corn exports. Higher prices and lower production in the U.S. reduce the availability of corn for feed use. U.S. corn exports and corn for feed use estimates were collectively lowered 425 million bushels. The U.S. corn ending stocks to use ratio is lowered to 11.8%, the lowest ratio since the 9.2% experienced during the 2013/14 marketing year. Market increases in the fall of 2019 provide opportunities for producers to market multiple years’ worth of grain at profitable prices.
The soybean balance sheet continues to show market softness with no change in acreage or yield. The March Planting Intentions Report had already lowered soybean acres 4.6 million earlier in the year to 84.6 million acres and planting challenges for corn potentially have shifted some intended corn acres to soybeans. With a couple more weeks to go in the soybean-planting window, final soybean acreage is far from known. However, soybean ending stocks topped the 1 billion bushel mark- an emotional mark for soybean prices. U.S. soybean exports continue to struggle with lower world demand and competitive prices. The U.S. soybean beginning stocks for 2019/2020 were increased on softness in soybean export estimates for the end of 2018/2019. The reduced planting intentions earlier in the year and some switching from corn acreage could mean there is little price rally in a moderate reduction in soybean acreage or yield. An increase in soybean acreage would provide another bearish signal to an already soft market. While an increase in soybean acreage might sound crazy given current planting conditions, the current acreage count was already lowered in March.
Policy Update
A USDA issued press release on June 10th provided some details of the announced trade package.
- The 2019 Market Facilitation Program (MFP) payments will be made on a planted acre basis and the rates will be calculated for each county. The rates were not released. All eligible crops in a county will receive the same payment.
- If a cover crop is planted and that cover crop has the potential to be harvested, then that cover crop will be eligible for a minimum MFP payment- providing a way to get an MFP payment on prevented plant acres. The definition of a harvestable cover crop was not defined. This payment is not included in the examples below there is no way to know the size of this payment.
- The disaster assistance in the “Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019” will be eligible for Secretarial or Presidential declared disaster areas. On June 14, Governor DeWine sent a letter to Secretary Purdue requesting a disaster deceleration request for Ohio. The additional assistance could increase the prevented planting payment value, but the press release indicated a modest increase. The Disaster Bill passed by Congress and signed by President Trump also allows for the use of the higher of the projected price or the harvest price for the targeted areas. Because it is unknown which or if any areas will be included in the disaster aid bill, there is not the inclusion of changes in prevented payments in the examples below.
Acres intended to be planted to Corn
The corn FPD for full crop insurance purposes in Ohio was June 5. Producers could still plant corn in Ohio at a reduced crop insurance guarantee of 1% per day after the FPD or they could take a prevented planting indemnity on Revenue Insurance (RP), Yield Insurance (YP) or other Common Crop Insurance Policies (COMBO). Producers have 4 options available for intended corn acres:
- Plant corn
- Take a prevented planting payment
- Plant soybeans
- Take 35% of the corn prevented planting payment and plant soybeans after the late plating soybean period of June 20 in Ohio.
Given the calendar is starting the 3rd week of June, it is unlikely that there are many producers who are still planning to plant corn that have not done so. However, a relatively high 18% was planted last week in Ohio. Planting corn this late in the season is connected to the expectation that prices will increase through the year and be high enough to offset yield losses and added increases in drying costs. Two additional scenarios exist where producers will likely still see the benefits of planting a corn crop.
- He or she has applied nutrients and some input costs
- He or she needs feed for a livestock operation
Still, it is difficult to see corn reaching black layer before the first fall frost. For acres where no input costs have been applied, yield and insurance guarantee declines along with current futures prices of $4.62/ bushel and an increase to drying costs do not suggest producers should continue to plant corn. As mentioned in the market update section there is a possibility for higher prices, especially if the market is on the high end of acreage estimates and summer weather is not cooperative for moderate yield variations. For producers that have applied some input costs, the window is almost closed for expected returns to be larger than the prevented planting corn payment. This varies on the producer and the level of input costs.
The third option is to plant soybeans on those intended corn acres. As mentioned in a previous OSU Extension article- soybean returns above variable costs at current prices do not return a higher value than taking corn prevented planting payments. Higher soybean prices would tighten the decision, but the current balance sheet does not show the needed support to soybean prices. In the case that soybean planting continues to be delayed, the usual soybean prevented planting payment is considerably lower than the original corn prevented planting payment. Most producers will want to maximize the corn share of their prevented plant acres given the corn/soybean indemnity ratio.
The last option to take 35% of the corn prevented planting payment and plant soybeans become relevant for corn acres after the late planting period has concluded (June 25 in Ohio). Producers do not have this option available to them at this moment. A consideration of this option needs to be made that historical production history or APH yields will be negatively affected decreasing the insurance guarantee in future years. At this time, market signals do not suggest this option provides returns that are larger than straight prevented planting payments of corn. The inclusion of a MFP payment on the planted soybeans could make this option comparable. It is hard to know without the release of county payment rates.
Acres intended to be planted to Soybeans
The FPD for soybeans in Ohio is approaching quickly and with only half the crop planted, there is the potential that large amounts of Ohio soybean acreage will be planted in the late planting period or classified as prevented planting under insurance policies. Producers should continue to plant soybeans up to the FPD if possible. Once the FPD on June 20 is reached, producers have three options:
- Plant soybeans
- Take the prevented planting payment for soybeans
- Wait until the late planting period has finished and plant an alternative crop while taking 35% of the prevented planting payment on soybeans.
After the FPD for soybeans has been reached, the first option for soybean intended acres is to plant soybeans in the late planting period. Remember, like corn, the soybean insurance guarantee decreases a percent per day during this period. Yield declines in soybeans are harder to estimate given the variability in previous late planting years and final yields. The trend line does decrease with late planting but the variation in yields is larger as a percent than that experienced in corn. Economic considerations for planting soybeans versus taking the prevented planting soybean payment should first be calculated on the net return of the soybean crop above variable cost and the net return of soybean prevented planting payment. The calculations below are illustrated for an 80% coverage level on a RP insurance policy and a trend-adjusted actual production history of 50 bu. / acre. As mentioned in the policy section, the Federal Disaster Bill allows for the inclusion of the higher of the projected price or the harvest price. However, that is not guaranteed so the projected price of $9.54/bushel is used in these calculations.
Returns from Planting Soybeans
The insurance guarantee for soybeans in this scenario is
(80% x 50 bu. x $9.54/bu.)= $381.60
However, producers planting soybeans do not receive the projected Variable costs will need to be subtracted from this an addition of a reasonable MFP payment. Using the Farm Budget for soybeans on the OSU Farm Office webpage, a variable cost of $220/ acre on soybeans seems reasonable. Adding in a $45/ acre MFP payment (it is not sacred about this value other than if you weight MFP payments in 2018 for corn and soybean acres the average is close to $45/acre) you get your expected returns for planting soybeans.
Insurance Guarantee of $381.60 minus cost of $220 plus MFP payment of $45 = $206.60/acre
Remember that this insurance guarantee drops 1% per day after the FPD of June 20. Given that current November futures contracts are $9.34/bushel, there is the possibility of an insurance payment being made with a relatively large drop in yield. In this scenario of the price at $9.34/bu. a yield of 41 bushels/ acre would be needed to trigger insurance payments. A lower price would not require as large of a drop in yield similarly as a higher price would require a larger drop in yield.
Returns from Soybean Prevented Planting
Using the same scenario as above- the prevented planting payment would be 60% of the insurance guarantee. Some producers could have bought up to a higher coverage level, but most Ohio producers have a 60% prevented planting coverage level.
Insurance Guarantee of $381.60 x 60% = $228.96
There is no MFP added to this scenario and we are assuming that there is no additional cost to include. It is possible that soybean seed has already been purchased and will need to be factored into the equation. However, a maintenance charge of $25/acre is included to manage the bare acres. This brings the prevented planting return to $203.96/ acre.
In comparison, the net return for planting soybeans was roughly $3/acre higher for planting soybeans given an estimate for possible MFP payments at $45. Outside of planting a soybean crop in 2019 and having low yields that could affect future actual production history values, the minimum returns to planting soybeans is similar to those of taking prevented planting payments. There is some potential upside to net returns if prices strengthen most likely due to further decreases in soybean acreage or U.S. soybean exports increase at the end of 2018/19, the beginning of 2019/20 or both. A price later in the season that provides a cash price (futures minus basis) above $7.63/bu. and a yield that matches the historical production of 50 bu./acre would calculate to a higher net revenue than prevented planting payments. Similarly, a yield of 45 bu./acre would need a cash price above $8.48/bu. to trigger a higher return than the prevented planting payment. Because of yield and insurance guarantees of 1% per day after June 20, the downside risk of planting a soybean crop will grow.
Conclusion
The above analysis is based on a set of assumptions for soybean planting near the FPD of June 20 in Ohio. It is assumed that the MFP payment will be $45/acre (again this is not a final rule, and should be seen as illustration purposes only) and that costs are roughly $220 per acre. Some producers will have variable costs included on prevented planting soybean acres- especially purchases treated soybean seeds.
Decisions around prevented planting will continue to be difficult. However, corn prevented plant payments are estimated to have a higher net return than soybean prevented planting payments. Switching corn intended acres to soybeans and taking a prevented planting payment on soybeans does not seem like the best option. The producer should continue to plant soybeans up to the June 20 FPD, after that the decision is tight between planting a soybean crop and taking the prevented planting payment. There is some upside potential for planting soybeans although the current U.S. soybean balance sheet does not provide many positives. Moving later into the late planting period window decreases the insurance guarantee and soybean yields and improves the possibility of soybean prevented planting net returns being larger than late planted soybean net returns. For most Ohio producers this point comes roughly around June 25, the same day that the late planting period for corn ends. As a final reminder- producers should always consult with their crop insurance provider before making final decisions.
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More of the Same
Wet conditions into July will impact additional planting but also harvesting crops. This includes wheat and hay.
There is not much change from last week's thinking. Overall, we expect above normal rainfall for the rest of June and likely into parts of July.
Rainfall for the next two weeks will average 2-5 inches which are 100-250% of normal. Isolated totals will exceed 6 inches.
Temperatures will continue to average about normal but that will be a mix of below normal maximum temperatures and above normal minimum temperatures. This will be the result of high moisture levels and humidity. The outlook for July is near or slightly above normal temperatures and above normal rainfall and humidity.
The latest observed 7-day 4-km hi-resolution rainfall estimates can be found here: https://www.weather.gov/images/ohrfc/dynamic/latest7day.jpeg
The latest 16-day rainfall outlook is attached to this article but the daily update can be found at https://www.weather.gov/images/ohrfc/dynamic/NAEFS16.apcp.mean.total.png
The latest NWS Ohio River Forecast Center river conditions can be found at: https://www.weather.gov/ohrfc/
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Don’t leave your fields naked if taking the prevent plant option on corn and soybean ground – Farms underwater won’t have a choice but farmers still have options.
It’s been a rough spring for much of Ohio and the counties that have received the most rainfall typically have less than 20% of the county planted. Many unplanted acres remain across the Corn Belt and in Ohio. The decision to plant or not to plant still lingers in a farmer’s mind. Farmers truly want to plant but with the June 20 deadline for planting soybeans or declaring prevent plant, many farmers will be taking the prevent plant option. Additionally, on the acres not planted, weed pressure is becoming more and more of a problem.
Prevent Planted fields should not be left bare/naked. Without competition for sunlight, weeds will continue to germinate and grow to create a weed seed back for many years to come. Soil erosion on bare soil can occur even on flat fields. Therefore, make a plan to prevent planted fields: control weeds first to prevent seed set, if the soil surface is uneven, then tillage should only be done when soil is dry to avoid compaction. Cover crops can then be sown which will protect the soil until 2020 crop planting.
Prevented planting rules and guidelines should be reviewed and can be found in the Risk Management Agency (RMS) website document, Prevented Planting Insurance Provisions https://www.rma.usda.gov/en/Fact-Sheets/National-Fact-Sheets/Prevented-Planting-Insurance-Provisions-Flood. Consult your Farm Service Agency (FSA) and crop insurance agent when considering options for prevented planting acres.
Cover crops can be a good way to take advantage of an otherwise unfortunate situation. A full season cover crop is a great opportunity to improve soil health and function. Cover crops can help to reduce soil erosion and compaction, capture nutrients, fix nitrogen, suppress weeds, moderate soil moisture, and build soil health. Benefits accomplished with these cover crops will put farmers at an advantage for the following cash crop and for years to come. A full season legume cover crop can provide considerable nitrogen for next season’s corn crop. This is also a good opportunity to capitalize on the benefits of a diverse cover crop mix. Mixing species is a good way to compound the benefits from multiple species. Many of these benefits will lead to increased soil resiliency (the ability for soil to adjust to climatic or practice changes) in the coming years.
As with typical crop planting, make sure to plant when field conditions are fit. Fieldwork under wet soil conditions can impact soil function for years to come. The growing window for cover crops is an opportunity in 2019.
Selection
When looking at the selection of cover crops, there are 3 main categories/options of species to select from.
- Grasses (oats, annual ryegrass, winter cereals, and summer grasses) build soil organic matter quickly while generating the most above and below ground biomass. Oats can be planted at any time outside the winter months and is the least cost option. Be aware that the heat of summer is not ideal for oats, but they can still be successfully utilized. Oats can be drilled at 30-60 lbs. per acre and at a depth of ½ to 1 ½ inches. If you are looking for weed control, summer grasses like sorghum-sudangrass is a good option. Sorghum-sudangrass can be planted early summer. Summer grasses will winter-kill, but their residues will continue to provide some protection through the winter and next spring. Winter cereals and annual ryegrass are another option but realize when you planted them early they may not perform the same as when they are planted later in the season. Winter cereals and annual ryegrass can be planted mid-to-late summer and are winter hardy requiring termination next spring.
- Legumes fix atmospheric nitrogen providing a source for next year’s crop. Red clover or berseem clover can be planted early summer, while for late summer planting consider crimson clover, sweet clover, hairy vetch or winter peas.
- Non-Legumes Broadleaves (Brassicas), such as radishes, mustards, and rapeseed, have taproots to break up compaction and improve permeability plus are also excellent nitrogen scavengers. Brassicas can be planted late summer. Planting radish before August can result in bolting and going to seed, limiting the size of the taproot. Mowing can be used to help prevent bolting in some cases.
Summer annual cover crop species are ideal to prevent plant situations, but each come with their own concerns. Cool season cereals such as rye, wheat, and barley planted in the heat of the summer will not produce as much biomass, may not overwinter successfully, and will be at increased disease risk.
There are reasons to look beyond these species to meet your cover crop needs. A few of these considerations are listed below.
- Cover crop seed availability is limited for many species. Contact your seed dealer to find out what species are available and affordable to you.
- Teff is small seeded and does well when planted with a Brillion seeder or cultipacker.
- Sunn Hemp thrives in warm climates and will have more nitrogen benefit in southern regions of the Midwest.
- Sunflowers are susceptible to white mold.
- Buckwheat is successful in a short timeframe but goes to seed quickly.
Specific questions can be directed to those who specialize in cover crops such as Extension Educators, Cover Crop Seed persons and even your experienced neighbors who have been using cover crops for years.
Management
Do your homework when selecting a cover crop. Look at what you are trying to do in your field while selecting the cover crops and how cover crops might help you this year. Be aware that planting some species out of season is not ideal. Some cover crops are sensitive to some residual herbicides. If you have already applied residual herbicides, consult herbicide labels for plant back restrictions (see Resources). While the resources below have general guidelines, note that farming practices vary from farm to farm. - Managing Weed Pressure – If you are planning to use cover crops in fields with heavy broadleaf weed pressure (i.e. marestail, waterhemp, etc.), consider using a grass species as a cover crop so that broadleaf herbicides can be utilized to manage weed populations over the summer.
- Seed Availability – If summer annual cover crop (listed above) seed availability is low, you might consider controlling weeds until August and then planting a cool season species or mix.
- Grazing/Forage Harvest – Discuss insurance details and payments with your agent. Cover crops may be harvested/grazed after November 1, or harvested/grazed before November 1 for partial payment on prevented plant acres.
- Residual Herbicides – Consider herbicides that may have already been applied in anticipation of cash crops. Refer to herbicide labels for details. Brassica and legume cover crops can be especially sensitive to residual herbicides.
- Preparing for Wheat – If you plan to plant wheat this fall, a cover crop that fits in a short window and produces nitrogen is ideal. Cowpea and Mung Bean are legumes that are appropriate for a short window in the summer months. Wheat contaminated with buckwheat seed can affect export to Japan. Other cereal crops such as rye can also be a problematic contaminate in wheat.
Using Cover Crops as a Forage
Additionally, when looking at a cover crop for forage for livestock, definitely look to the clovers as an option for forage. Sorghum-sudangrass and some summer grasses are other good options. The use of cover crops as a forage opens a different set of species can be used that are not typically considered for cover crops. These species are cover crops such as Teff or the millets. The caution is if you are looking for cover crops as a forage and you are taking a prevent plant insurance option first consult with your crop insurance agent for restrictions. Many of the plant species that can be used could also be used for grazing and harvested for feed. RMA has strict rules regarding grazing and haying specifically:
- Plant a cover crop during or after the late planting period and do not hay or graze this cover crop before November 1 to receive a full prevented planting payment.
- Plant a cover crop during or after the late planting period and do hay or graze this cover crop before November 1 and receive no prevented planting payment.
- Plant a cover crop after the late planting period and do hay or graze this cover crop before November 1 and receive 35 percent of a prevented planting payment for your first crop.
References and Additional Resources
Cover Crop Considerations for Prevent Planting, http://mccc.msu.edu/cover-crop-considerations-prevented-planting/
Managing Cover Crops Profitability, 3rd Edition, https://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Books/Managing-Cover-Crops-Profitably-3rd-Edition
Midwest Cover Crops Field Guide, second edition, https://ag.purdue.edu/agry/dtc/Pages/CCFG.aspx
Midwest Cover Crops Council, http://mccc.msu.edu
Midwest Cover Crops Council Selector Tool, http://mccc.msu.edu/selector-tool/
Prevented Planting Standards Handbook, 2019 and Succeeding Crop Years; USDA, https://www.rma.usda.gov/-/media/RMAweb/Handbooks/Loss-Adjustment-Standards—25000/Prevented-Planting/2019-25370-Prevented-Planting-Standards.ashx?la=en
Corn Herbicide Carryover Table; Penn State University Extension, https://extension.psu.edu/corn-herbicides-and-rotation-to-cover-crops
Soybean Herbicide Carryover Table; Penn State University Extension, https://extension.psu.edu/soybean-herbicides-and-rotation-to-cover-crops
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Corn of Many Colors
As corn is emerging and beginning to grow, we are again seeing many colors present. In any given field, corn can appear dark green in sections, while other sections are yellow and occasionally purple. Yellowing (due to low nitrogen or sulfur uptake and/or limited chlorophyll synthesis) or purpling (reduced root development and/or increased anthocyanin production) of corn plants at this stage of development generally has little or no effect on later crop performance or yield potential. If it's induced by environmental conditions, the yellow or purple appearance should change to a healthy green after a few sunny days with temperatures above 70 degrees F (and as soils dry). If plants remain yellow then closer inspection and assessment is needed to determine if the yellowing is caused by nutrient deficiency or some other factor. Cooler wet conditions often increase the appearance of these different colors. Some hybrids are more likely to increase anthocyanin (purple pigment) content when plants are cool.
Environmental conditions (high rainfall causing saturated soils) can lead to the appearance of yellow corn. The visual appearance may be interpreted as N deficiency, but this is rarely the case. Excessive water leads to poor respiration of the roots inhibiting nutrient uptake and affecting cycling of nutrients like N and S. This results in the chlorotic appearance which resembles N deficiency. After soils dry out, the appearance returns back to normal. If the chlorotic condition persists after the soil dries, the problem should be investigated further. This short-term condition should not affect the yield potential of the crop. Potassium deficiency is more likely to show symptoms later in the spring as well.
When you combine cool nighttime temperatures, high radiation levels during the day, and wet field conditions, you are likely to start seeing purple plants in some corn fields. The first thing that may come to mind is a phosphorus deficient soil. This is unlikely the case, especially this early in the year. Phosphorous deficiency should also appear on lower leaves, with upper leaves being of normal coloration. As a defense mechanism to protect photosynthesis, a corn plant will form pigments to help absorb excess light and divert it away from their photosynthetic centers as a form of sunblock. This purple color is from anthocyanins, which can be formed from excess light or caused by a buildup of sugar (sucrose). Diverting the excess sunlight protects the photosynthetic mechanism and can reduce the time needed for the plant to recover from excess light stress. Other factors including soil compaction, herbicide injury, etc. can make the effect even more pronounced.
Purple corn can also be the result of what is known as the “fallow syndrome.” If corn follows a fallow season, a root fungus called mycorrhizae reaches a low population. Mycorrhizal infection of corn aids in phosphorus and zinc uptake. Until the fungal growth is stimulated by the corn roots, which exude starches and sugars, the purple color may persist. Fortunately, the purple tint is short-lived and rarely persists beyond the V6 growth stage. It should not have an impact on the yield potential of the field.
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Is your corn leaning?
I have received several reports of corn leaning because of the high winds we have experienced recently along with the heavy rains. It is not uncommon for young plants to exhibit “lodging” as a result of strong winds. Last week, Amanda Douridas, ANR Extension Educator in Champaign Co., shared observations of corn leaning at approximately the V3-V6 stage in several fields (see Fig. 1). Usually, this leaning is short-lived and plants recover within several days. Amanda reported that about 24 hours after the wind event the plants had already straightened up. Sometimes the wind-induced leaning is associated with excessive vegetative growth which gets ahead of the root system supporting the plant, especially when the root system is restricted.
Rootless corn (or rootless corn syndrome https://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/news/timeless/FloppyCorn.html) occurs when there is limited or no nodal root development. Plants exhibiting rootless corn symptoms are often leaning or lodged. Affected corn plants may only be anchored in the soil by seminal roots or by a single nodal root. (See Fig. 2) This condition is generally observed in plants from about the V3 (three leaf collar stage) to the V8 stage of development. The problem often becomes evident when corn is subjected to strong winds, which results in plants falling over because there is a limited number or no nodal roots supporting them. The force of winds can also break off nodal roots and inhibit the establishment of a permanent root system. Leaning and lodged plants (sometimes referred to as "floppy corn”) may also be wilted. When affected plants are examined, the nodal roots appear stubby, blunt, and unanchored to the soil.
Rootless corn problems are usually caused by weather-related conditions that coincide with the development of the permanent (or nodal) root system and various environmental factors. These include shallow plantings, hot, dry surface soils, compacted soils, and loose or cloddy soil conditions. Excessive rainfall and shallow plantings may cause erosion and soil removal around the crown region that can result in rootless corn.
“High crown syndrome” has been associated with rootless corn problems (http://bulletin.ipm.illinois.edu/article.php?id=1650). One of the causes of the high-crown syndrome is subsidence of the soil due to rainfall after planting, when planting occurs in dry soils fluffed by tillage. If the planting furrow opens as soils dry after planting (this is most common in no-till), coleoptile growth stops and the crown can be set near the seed, essentially placing the seed and seedling above the soil.
The nodal roots develop above the seed and comprise the permanent root system of corn. The nodal roots, not the seminal roots (associated with the seed), are important in providing the water and the mineral nutrients that the corn plant needs for normal growth and development. If corn seed is planted 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep, then the nodal (or crown) roots begin to develop at about 3/4 inches below the soil surface. However, if the seed is planted shallower (1 inch or less), then the nodal roots may form near or at the surface where they are more exposed to fluctuations in soil moisture and temperature. Nodal root growth is very sensitive to high temperatures (with root growth slowing or stopping at soil temperatures exceeding 86ºF). When unshaded surface soil temperatures reach the mid 90's or higher on hot days, the nodal root growth of shallow planted corn may stop. Plants are forced to rely on the seed root system or limited nodal root growth until more favorable temperatures and moisture conditions allow nodal root growth to resume.
Certain types of herbicide injury (e.g. 2,4-D, Banvel) and insect feeding (e.g. corn rootworm) may also cause lodging to occur in corn plants during vegetative development. Generally, they are not the major causes of the rootless corn problems at these early stages of corn development. However, there may be situations where insect feeding and/or herbicides may be a contributing factor.
After plants lodge, adequate rainfall will promote crown root development and plants can recover. Cultivation to throw soil around exposed roots may aid the corn's recovery. Of course, this is difficult to do in a no-till situation or when the soil is hard and dry.
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How to store treated seed
Let me say upfront that much of the information in this piece is based on a study published (Crop Science 53:1086-1095 in 2013) by Dr. Susan Goggi’s lab and others at Iowa State University, Dept. of Agronomy & Seed Science Center. As a scientist, we store both untreated and treated seed over years, but it is healthy and it is in cool and always dry conditions. But this year we have several issues. The seed raised in 2018, due to the rains through our long drawn out harvest, left a lot to be desired. Last week, we had one day to plant and now we are making decisions on what to do with the seed we purchased that is treated. Treated seed cannot enter the market and must be disposed of through planting, incineration, or burial based on the label. All of these are costly.
In a study at Iowa State, they compared 24 different seed lots which were treated with a fungicide, fungicide plus insecticide and not treated under 3 conditions: 1) a warehouse; 2) a climate controlled cold storage (50 F, ~60% RH); or 3) warm storage (77 F, ~31 % RH). The seed itself was high germination (95 to 98% germination), dry (<8%), and there was a very low percentage of seedborne pathogens.
As expected the viability and vigor of the seed in the warehouse, with no climate control, dropped to less than 20% across all of the seed treatments. We have observed this ourselves when we store our seed in a barn after a hot dry summer. Interestingly, in this set of experiments the treated seed stored in cold storage or warm storage had higher vigor and viability than the non-treated seed for the first 12 months of storage. Additionally the protein and oil content remained the same or were unaffected by the seed treatment.
The caveat to all of this, the starting seed for these experiments was really ideal. And the seed with the seed treatment did not go below 80% germination until after 16 months for the two controlled environments. Additionally, the seed treatments in this study were simple – one or two active ingredients, so these were preliminary results and are not conclusive for all seed treatments. How a specific variety would respond across the myriad of active ingredients (both chemical and biological) across these same conditions is unknown.
For the seed in 2019, if it is treated it should be planted to avoid the added costs of disposal. If it must be stored look for a place where it can be kept cool and dry. The range in these experiments was from 50 to 77 F, these are cool temperatures and also low relative humidity. Keep monitoring the germination again in January 2020. For carryover of untreated seed from 2019, if possible, clean it again to continue to remove Phomopsis colonized seed (they will be lighter) and keep it as cool and at as low an RH as possible. Also, continue to monitor germination levels.
Finally and more importantly, the disposal of treated seed should be done through planting. Based on the acres in Ohio, this is a large quantity of seed to manage, work with your crop insurance representative to identify the best date to plant this seed so that it won’t be harvestable. We will update this part of the article as more information and policies are made over the next few weeks.
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Is there potential for early season frogeye?
Several pictures last week and over the weekend of leaves with tan centers and purple to burgundy ring around the outside. These are symptoms of both some types of herbicide injury but frogeye leaf spot as well. With frogeye, conidia will form on the underside of the lesion. One of the ways to visualize them is to place the leaves in a plastic bag overnight and look for “whiskers” (the conidia) on the underside of the lesion the next morning (Figure). Leaves are often damp enough so a wet paper towel is not needed for this, if the leaves have become dry, just rinse them off with tap water, blot them dry, and then place them in the plastic bag.
Frogeye has quickly become an annual problem in Ohio over the past 10 years. Primarily due to the planting of moderate to highly susceptible cultivars. We know that it also overwinters in Ohio, so if you had frogeye develop in a field last year, and it is in continuous soybean, and you did not change your variety or get one with a better resistance package to this pathogen – then it might be a very good idea to scout those fields that were planted in 2019.
Fungicides are effective against this disease, however, we have documented the presence of strobilurin resistance strains of this fungus throughout the state. There are still some pockets where strobilurin type fungicides will still work but these are few. Triazole fungicides are all effective towards this pathogen and based on my testing and that of a lot of my colleagues in the North Central Extension Research Soybean Committee, many are highly effective (Table).
Our studies for effectiveness are based on R3 applications of a few lesions every 100 feet in a field. We do know that R5 applications are too late, and most years only one application is needed in Ohio. Only once have we recommended a spray at V6 and that was when there were 3 to 5 lesions on every plant, a very severe case.
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Evaluating the Effects of NZone Max on Corn Nitrogen Efficiency in Ohio
NZone MaxTM is a commercial product by AgExplore International, LLC® (Parma, MO) designed to improve N efficiency by maintaining N in the ammonium form (NH4), slowing the conversion to nitrate (NO3). NZone Max is not a traditional nitrification inhibitor, but rather uses unique calcium-based chemistry to slow the conversion of NH4 into NO3.
From 2016-2018, we evaluating the effects of NZone Max on corn N efficiency in Wooster, Ohio. Urea ammonium nitrate (UAN, 28%) with and without NZone Max were tested at two N rates: a full rate of 195 lbs N/acre (100%) and a reduced rate of 147 lbs N/acre (75%). Continuous corn was planted each year in the same field over three years.
Soil was sampled for NO3 and NH4 at 0-12 inch and 12-24 inch depths at the following corn stages: preplant, V5 (early vegetative), V10 (mid vegetative), R1 (silking), and R6 (physiological maturity). Measured crop properties included: aboveground biomass N at V5, ear leaf N at R1, stalk nitrate at black layer and corn grain N and yield at harvest.
NZone Max had minimal effects on the retention of NH4 in the soil. Out of the 60 total comparisons (3 years, 5 stages, 2 depths, 2 N rates), both soil NO3 and NH4 were equally likely to increase or decrease with NZone Max treated fertilizer (Table 1).
Table 1. Cumulative counts of the effect of NZone Max on soil nitrate (NO3) and ammonium (NH4) from 0-12” and 12-24”.
N Pool
Depth
NZone Increased
NZone Decreased
No Significant Difference
NO3
0-12"
3
4
23
12-24"
1
0
29
NH4
0-12"
2
2
26
12-24"
2
2
26
NZone Max did influence the corn crop, by increasing N content in the plant at two growth stages. However, there was no effect on corn grain yields in any year (Figure 1).
Over three years in Wooster Ohio, we did not observe a net benefit with using NZone Max in corn. The full summary report can be found here: go.osu.edu/NZone
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Potato Leafhopper Scouting in Alfalfa and Red Clover
Some alfalfa fields have been harvested for the first time and now is the time to scout the regrowth in those fields for potato leafhoppers (PLH). At our Western Agricultural Research Center near South Charleston, OH the PLH numbers last week in early alfalfa regrowth were generally about half the number needed to reach economic treatment thresholds. However, PLH populations can change quickly, and second crop regrowth should be scouted at least on a weekly basis. The forage this year is valuable because of low forage supplies, so protecting the crop from this insect is especially important and we might want to consider treatment at lower than normal population counts.
Videos are available at describing scouting for PLH in alfalfa and how to identify the insect and its feeding damage.
In addition, a factsheet is available at https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ENT-33. That factsheet includes the economic action thresholds for this pest in alfalfa under low, normal, or high tolerance to stress. Because of the value of alfalfa this year and the waterlogging stress many surviving stands have experienced, the low tolerance threshold could be considered for many fields in Ohio.
We have observed the classic hopper burn symptoms on first crop alfalfa that has not yet been harvested. Those stands have achieved their full yield potential, so insecticide treatment is not warranted on those uncut stands. Cutting those stands once the weather allows and then watching the regrowth for PLH re-infestations is the recommended approach. While the leafhopper feeding may result in slightly lower crude protein levels in those uncut stands, other factors such as foliar diseases and lodging are likely having a larger impact on leaf loss, forage quality and yield than is the leafhopper feeding.
Red clover stands can also suffer damage from PLH. Varieties that are less pubescent (less “hairy”) are particularly susceptible to this pest, and we have seen significant stunting and loss of yield in those types of varieties. There are no established economic action thresholds for red clover, so perhaps using the normal to high tolerance thresholds for alfalfa would be a guideline to consider for red clover this year.
The PLH is a small bright green wedge-shaped insect that arrives in our area each year on storm fronts from the Gulf Coast region. PLH is a sucking insect and its feeding causes stunting of alfalfa plants resulting in yield loss. Excessive stress on plants by heavy PLH feeding can result in yield reductions in the current as well as subsequent cuttings. A common symptom of PLH feeding is a wedge-shaped yellowing of leaf tips. If you are noticing these symptoms, some damage has been done. Regular scouting can help to detect PLH earlier and determine if there is a need for a rescue treatment.
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For Head Scab & Yield-Don’t Delay Wheat Harvest (Well…If the weather cooperates)
Wheat harvest date impacts both grain yield and quality. Delaying wheat harvest puts the crop at risk for increased disease, vomitoxin contamination, lodging, sprouting, and harvest loss.
With funding from the Ohio Small Grains Marketing Program, we conducted wheat harvest date trials for three years. However, none of the years were similar to what we are experiencing this year.
The biggest impact on wheat grain yield and quality seems to occur when the dry grain is re-wetted in the field prior to harvest. In 2016 in Clark Co., we evaluated wheat harvested on June 29 (at 12% moisture content) and July 8 (at 14% moisture content). Grain moisture increased between June 29 and July 8 due to 0.58” rain between the two dates. When the wheat harvest was delayed until July 8, yield decreased by 9 bu./acre, test weight decreased by 2.9 lb./bu., and vomitoxin level increased by 0.86 ppm. Using a grain price of $4.50/bu. and discounts from a local elevator, the difference the delayed wheat harvest resulted in a loss of $87/acre compared to the June 29 harvest.
In 2017 and 2018, we harvested wheat at high moisture (20-30%) and at 13% moisture. The wheat received rainfall between the two harvest dates, but the dry grain was not re-wet (unlike our 2016 study). Pre-harvest sprout, Fusarium-damaged kernels (FDK), and vomitoxin were not influenced by harvest date. Again, this was partly because field-dried grain was not re-wet by precipitation, plus the overall level of scab was very low (< 1, on average). Harvesting around 20% moisture and drying the grain resulted in similar profit as harvesting grain at 13% moisture. However, harvesting at >23% moisture reduced profitability mostly due to costs associated with drying and reduced test weight.So, if you do see higher levels of scab in your field this year than we saw during our study, you will likely benefit from harvesting the grain early (18 to 20% moisture) and then drying it down. As mentioned above, leaving it in the field to dry-down increases the risk of re-wetting, which could increase vomitoxin contamination. Coupled with early harvest, you should increase the fan speed of your combine harvester to blow out scabby, lightweight grain. Our research showed that 5-10% of scab can be managed during harvest – increasing the fan speed will reduce FDK and vomitoxin and increase the test weight of the grain lot, all of which will lead to better overall grain quality, and consequently, lower price discounts.
Wheat harvest date impacts both grain yield and quality. Delaying wheat harvest puts the crop at risk for increased disease, vomitoxin contamination, lodging, sprouting, and harvest loss.
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New Podcast Episodes
The Agronomy and Farm Management Podcast has been releasing new episodes every other week since May 2018 and is set to release its 29th episode next Wednesday. To make it easier for listeners to find past episodes, the podcast has a new landing page at http://go.osu.edu/AFM.
Here you will find a listing of all past episodes, descriptions of what we talked about and links to additional resources. We cover a wide range of topics for corn, soybean and small grain farmers on agronomic and farm management topics. Episodes include legal topics such as leases, LEBOR, and hemp; timely seasonal topics like disease, insects, and weather; and operational improvement strategies related to nutrient management, precision agriculture and grain marketing.
Stay up to date on the latest episodes by following us on Twitter and Facebook (@AFMPodcast) and adding us to your favorites in Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. Give us a good rating and review if you like the podcast! If there is a listening platform you would like us to broadcast on or you have a topic suggestion, reach out on social media or by email at Douridas.9@osu.edu.
Crop Observation and Recommendation Network
C.O.R.N. Newsletter is a summary of crop observations, related information, and appropriate recommendations for Ohio crop producers and industry. C.O.R.N. Newsletter is produced by the Ohio State University Extension Agronomy Team, state specialists at The Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). C.O.R.N. Newsletter questions are directed to Extension and OARDC state specialists and associates at Ohio State.
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Disclaimer
The information presented here, along with any trade names used, is supplied with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is made by Ohio State University Extension is implied. Although every attempt is made to produce information that is complete, timely, and accurate, the pesticide user bears responsibility of consulting the pesticide label and adhering to those directions.
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