Channel Field Check Up Series: Evaluating plant standability ahead of harvest

As the growing season progresses to the maturity stage, it’s a good time to evaluate the crop and consider your harvest plans.

Many farmers approach harvest pragmatically. For instance, they might consider the logistics of moving machinery. They might analyze the distance to haul grain or harvest a landlord’s fields first.

Harvesting a crop based on logistics isn’t a bad strategy. However, if your goal is to harvest as many corn bushels as possible, it’s important to evaluate the plant’s late-season appearance in each field.

Many Corn Belt states experienced wet spring weather and conditions favorable to disease during the growing season and Channel Seedsmen are on the lookout for disease pathogens that can stress corn plants and significantly reduce yields.

Gray leaf spot and northern corn leaf blight are primary foliar disease pathogens that our Seedsmen are looking for. Anthracnose stalk rot and other stalk diseases could affect plant appearance as grain fill progresses.

The 2022 season posed many challenges to Indiana farmers. When evaluating fields pre-harvest, check for pollination issues in corn as the heat and drought stress experienced by many earlier in the year have taken their toll.

Many fields look appealing from the road now that rain has continued across much of the state, but yields are likely limited due to pollination or kernel abortion in many areas.

Growers should also keep an eye out for heavy insect feeding in soybeans that can cause yield and grain quality loss.

Channel Seedsmen use the push test and the pinch test to evaluate plant’s standability during the maturity stage. For both tests, sample 20 plants in five representative field locations.

If 10% to 15% of plants fail either test, the field is at risk for severe stalk lodging and should be prioritized for harvest to prevent losing yield due to downed corn.

The push test helps determine the sturdiness of corn stalks and simulates a wind event. Push a stalk to a 45-degree angle, or until the tassel touches the tassel of the next row. If the stalk buckles, it could be cannibalized or have stalk rot.

For the pinch test, squeeze stalks between the second and third node from the ground. Hollow stalks might make a popping sound as air within the stalk rind compresses.

For more information about pre-harvest field evaluations, contact your local Channel Seedsman or refer to the agronomy library at Channel.com.