Evaluate corn emergence this planting season

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — May is a good month to evaluate corn emergence as farmers scout fields.

Emerging corn health is a good indicator of how a farmer’s field is faring, according to agronomists at Pioneer.

“When scouting, you’ll first want to look at overall uniformity of emergence,” said Jonathan Rotz, Pioneer field agronomist. “Taking note of spacing is equally important.”

Rotz recommended evaluating several representative areas in each field.

Farmers can document areas with emergence problems via GPS and photos tagged with geographical coordinates to help them make decisions later.

“Growers should dig into the soil and really look at the seedlings,” Rotz said. “You can check seeding depth, root development and look for any issues under the surface.”

Key Insights

• Early-season stress can increase the risk of seedling disease.

• Injury to emerging seedlings, such as imbibitional damage or insect feeding, will also leave seedlings open to disease.

• Research shows that evenly spaced plants are in the best position to capture available sunlight. In fields with uneven plant spacing — misplaced or missing plants — yield potential may be reduced.

• Growers should pay attention to the growing environment. Conditions that promote rapid soil warming generally favor seedling growth and reduce disease incidence.

• Extended cool, wet conditions generally favor disease progression.