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Dry Weather Becoming a Concern for NW Missouri Farmers

By Matthew Leaf

05/23/2012

While farmers in northwest Missouri may be happy to see the Missouri River remain within its banks this summer, dry weather conditions are becoming problematic.
University of Missouri Extension says they’ve received several calls regarding what’s called “floppy corn syndrome.”
According to University of Missouri Agronomist Wayne Flanary, there are several causes for the problem. One of those, he says, is that with the hot, dry, conditions and dry soils, a corn plant’s permanent root system may not been able to establish itself, causing the plant to fall over. Plants that fall over will die if only a limited amount of roots move into the soil.
There can be other causes of the problem. Flanary says a loose soil seedbed that is packed after germination can expose the nodal roots, and shallow planting of less than one inch can also contribute to the problem.
To correct the problem, Flanary says they need rain. He says northwest Missouri has gone much of the last three weeks without significant rain, which can be a problem in May.
In addition to the “floppy corn” syndrome, Flanary says soybeans that were planted shallow are not germinating with the lack of moisture.

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