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Hot, Dry Weather Continues to Take Toll on Crops
By
Laura Skillman
 LEXINGTON, Ky., (Aug. 22, 2007) – Lack of moisture from a severe
drought across the state and extreme August heat are taking a
toll on corn and soybean crops. As a result, yields are expected
to be reduced and harvest may be more challenging.
At the end of July crop prospects for the state were already
showing lower anticipated yields compared to 2006 because of
persistent dry weather. As much of Kentucky moves into its third
week of temperatures above 90 degrees, heat is only adding to
the problem, with crop conditions further declining on the
weekly state crop and weather report issued by the Kentucky
field office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Much of the state’s soybean fields are in the critical pod and
seed-fill stages of development and are in need of lower
temperatures and rainfall to develop properly. Otherwise, they
will likely develop smaller beans and may not develop all the
beans in the pods, said Jim Herbek, extension grains crop
specialist with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension
Service.
For soybeans that are still blooming and setting pods, the
weather is likely to cause more flower and pod abortions than
normal. The extreme heat and dry conditions limit their
reproductive ability, he said. Late-planted double-cropped
soybeans have stopped growing and may not be worth harvesting if
weather conditions don’t improve substantially within the next
couple of weeks.
“The soybean crop could drastically decline if dry weather
continues or improve greatly with rain,” Herbek said. “But we
don’t need spotty showers. We need several soaking rains.”
 Corn yields are expected to be down 26 bushels per acre from
last year’s 146-bushel state average. Corn’s yield drag is
primarily due to lack of moisture. The severe drought conditions
across the state in recent weeks likely have limited the crop
from filling the kernels completely and will result in less
yield and lower test weights, he said.
An added complication could be stalk integrity. Drought
conditions most likely have weakened stalks and stands need to
be checked prior to harvest, said Chad Lee, UK extension grains
crop specialist.
“Corn plants require water to receive some nutrients from the
soil,” Lee said. “In drought conditions, those nutrients cannot
be pulled from the soil. If the roots are unable to take in
nutrients, then the corn plant will pull nutrients from the
stalks to fill out the kernels.”
This leaves the corn plant with poorer structural integrity
making them more likely to fall over with heavy winds or heavy
rains. Ear drop from these stalks is also more likely.
Farmers need to scout their fields to check for stalk problems.
They can do this by grabbing stalks above the ear and pulling it
about 10 to 12 inches from the center. If it returns to its
normal, upright position, then stalk strength is acceptable. If
it fails to return to the normal position, then weak stalks are
likely to be a problem.
“Farmers need to be prepared to harvest fields as soon as
moisture levels in the grain are acceptable,” Lee said. “Corn
may need to be harvested wet and dried to 15 or 14 percent
moisture.”
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Contact: Jim Herbek, 270-365-7541, ext. 205
Chad Lee, 859-257-3203
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The UK College
of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across
the commonwealth with teaching, research and extension
to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
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