C36—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 7,1981
How poor fertilization opens way for
NEWARK, Del Lodging can
greatly reduce corn yields A
principal cause of lodging is stalk
rot. The problem is much more
serious some years than others on
Delmarva, but it can be minimized
with good management, says
University ot Delaware extension
agronomist William H Mitchell
Recent research suggests that
stalk rot occurs when the corn
plant is forced to draw heavily on
stored food in the roots and stalk in
order to fill kernels in developing
ears This happens when some
stress such as high temperature or
drought prevents the plant from
manufacturing enough car
bohydrates to sustain other func
tions and still reproduce
The developing corn plant isn’t
at all conservative in its growth
habits, explains Mitchell Lake a
spendthrift, it uses everything
nature-and the farmer-provides.
If conditions are ideal early in the
growing season, the young
seedling starts out robustly,
putting out a lot ot lush vegetative
growth it may not be able to
sustain, should conditions change
for the worse later on If may even
start an extra ear
When the weather gets hot, if
there’s not enough water this large
production system may run short
of inputs By then the reproductive
cycle has started and the plant will
continue to try to support earfill by
drawing on its reserves
The root system will be the first
to feel the dram Next, car
bohydrates stored m the stalk will
be drawn off Without these to
sustain them, root and stalk cells
can’t perform their normal func
tions. They start to degenerate and
die.
In the process, feeder roots are
lost and the stalk becomes hollow
This degeneration seems to be the
start of all visible stalk rot
problems, says Mitchell
Several things contribute to stalk
rot problems One is excessive
nitrogen This stimulates top
growth at the expense of root
growth and reduces carbohydrate
reserves
Too much watei is another way
to encourage excessive top growth
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at the expense of the corn plant’s
root system
Genetic makeup counts, too Add
a variety without good disease
resistance and you’ve created the
perfect environment for stalk rot
to occur
Research also suggests that
stalk rot and weak stalks are
associated with potassium
deficiency in the soil Where the
potassium supply is good, you’re
less likely to have a problem, says
the agronomist This may be
because potassium plays a key role
in regulating the opening and
closing pf leaf pores (stomatoesj to
permit photosynthesis.
When the plant doesn’t have
enough of this nutrient, its
production of carbohydrates may
be restricted.
Sometimes grower expectations
are too high early in the season In
shooting for big yields a farmer
may stimulate too much early
growth, unwittingly setting plants
up for later stress and lodging
Restrict nitrogen and increase the
potassium a bit and the result
should be a stronger standing corn
There’s a delicate balance to
maintain, when it comes to
nitrogen Leave off too much and
you could hurt yields.
On the other hand, there’s a
fairly dose correlation between
yield and stalk strength The
heavier the yield, the greater the
drain on the system and the
greater the chance for the
development of stalk rot
Part of the answer may be to
avoid heavy applications of
nitrogen at tune of planting Early
vegetative stimulation may ac
tually be harmful. It may be better
to sidedress later on instead, says
Mitchell.
The corn plant needs adequate
water to avoid moisture stress
during the early stages of growth,
he adds At the same time, farmers
should hope they don’t get too
much rainfall Heavy rainstorms
early in the season can contribute
to the later development of stalk
rot
Early planting is another way to
reduce the chances for this
disease Almost invariably eaily
planting causes shorter, thicker
stalk development It also permits
the plant to complete pollination by
early July, betoie heat stress
begins to build up
Growers ran also help reduce the
incidence of lodging by selecting
hybrids with good resistance to
leaf diseases These are most
likely to resist stalk rot
No-till corn normally stands
better than conventionally tilled
coin in field comparisons
Mitchell says he thinks thei e are
two reasons tor this Under no
tillage, there is often less available
nitrogen because it is immobilized
in organic matter, where it’s held
LANCASTER - With the spring
planting season just around the
comer, it’s easy to understand why
fanners are getting anxious to
empty out the manure storage.
This time-consuming job is
necessary before a seedbed can be
prepared, according to Ed Petrus
of the Soil Conservation Service in
Lancaster.
“Too many farmers, however,
are storing manure with today’s
techniques, but spreading it by
yesterday’s standards”, he said
To get the most out of your
manure, he offers the following
tips-
1. Avoid excess agitation of
liquid storages. The aeration can
lead to nutrient loss.
2. Stay out of muddy fields with
heavy equipment until the ground
has dried.
All things
considered - F VAOj)
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in reserve tor later use.
f’heies also abundant evidence
that potassium accumulates in the
upper toot zone under no-tillage
and thus is moi e i eadily accessible
to the plant
Much research still needs to be
done on the fertility needs ol the
corn plant, but it may be beneficial
to put on nitrogen and even
potassium late ui the season-even
after pollination - in ordei to
maintain balance in the system
"Balance all the way is the key
to good standing corn, ’ says
Mitchell.
All kinds of stress can result in
reduced carbohydrate reserves
Since the corn plant doesn t have a
Tips on
stored
3. Avoid spreading on snow or
frozen ground, when the runoff and
pollution potential is high.
4. Favor flat fields over steep
fields, and favor fields with erosion
controls (terraces, stripcropping,
etc.) over other fields
5 Spread immediately before
plowing and planting for best
utilization.
6. Avoid spreading immediately
adjacent to streams, ponds, or
wells.
7. Spread based on fertilizer
needs from a soil test.
8. Observe maximum spreading
limits. These are based on the type
of manure, consistency of the
manure, productivity of the soil,
and the crop to be grown
9. Do not spread on grass-legume
hay early m the season.
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stalk rot
handling
manure
10 Avoid continued heavy ap
plications in the same field.
One final tip,” adds Petrus.
•‘Be neighborly. Let your neigh
bors know when you’ll be
spreading, so they can avoid
outdoor activities, like barbecues
or hanging out the laundry.”
For further information or to
check the maximum recom
mended rate for your soils, contact
the Soil Conservation Service at
717-299-1563 or stop in at the Farm
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Aracadia Road, Lancaster, PA.
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veiy good seif regulator but ap
parently responds readily to
whatever stimuli it gets, it’s up to
the tarmer to do the regulating tor
it, so that these stresses are
avoided, or at least minimized.
Start with a hybrid that has good
disease tolerance. Avoid early
overwatering where possible.
Don’t overstimulate the plant with
nitrogen Make sure it gets
adequate potassium
Plant early for maximum stalk
diametei and a lower center of
gravity And consider switching to
no-till By adopting these practices
you should greatly reduce the
incidence ot stalk rot in your fields,
Mitchell says
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