Facts, not feelings should determine corn replanting
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Replant decisions should be based on facts, not emotion. A Purdue University worksheet helps corn growers affected by a wet spring make the right choices.
"Estimating Yield and Dollar Returns from Corn Replanting," Purdue Extension publication AY-264-W, can be downloaded online at http://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/pubs/AY-264-W.pdf . The publication is written by Bob Nielsen, Purdue Extension corn specialist.
"Deciding to replant a stand of corn should be based on a number of criteria but, unfortunately, the major influencing factor is often the emotion associated with looking out the kitchen window at the damaged field every morning," Nielsen said.
Nielsen's worksheet helps corn producers calculate their replant costs and potential yields.
The calculations are based on a farmer's cropping history, including original seeding rate and planting dates, yield estimates under "normal" conditions, the projected market price at the time of harvest and the expected replanting date and costs.
The worksheet then takes the information provided and helps the grower, "determine the damaged field's current yield potential if left untouched, its replant yield potential, and the dollar returns, if any, from replanting the field," Nielsen said.
Growers stand to benefit from the information the worksheet provides, Nielsen said.
"Taking time to work through the steps of the replanting worksheet will help clarify the economic returns, or losses, to replanting and reduce the influence of emotions in this important crop management decision," he said.
The replanting buzz is getting louder as an almost daily dose of rain has fallen on many parts of Indiana this month. The excessive moisture has left many cornfields with standing water or soggy soils.
When deciding whether to replant corn, many factors should be taken into account, Nielsen said.
"Recognize that the expected replanting date may be quite late given the amount of rainfall these fields have received in recent days, the uncertain rainy forecast for the remainder of this week and the uncertain time required for these fields to dry enough to allow replanting," Nielsen said.
While replant decisions are easy for fields wiped out by flooding, they aren't so simple for less-saturated fields, Nielsen said.
"The more challenging fields are those that are farther away from the rivers, where you've got pockets in the field where water stands or pockets where it remains saturated for days on end," he said. "Those conditions can be very detrimental to the survival of corn kernels and germinating seedlings and young seedlings. It becomes a matter of assessing the survivability of a field and trying to determine the success of stand establishment and final plant population.
"At some point you need to at least think about replanting. Then that takes you into the economic realm of trying to determine whether it is economic to replant a field that's less than desirable."
It also is important to remember that even if the projected economic returns are suitable for replanting, there is no guarantee of success, Nielsen said.
"Late-planted fields will pollinate during late summer when high temperatures and moisture deficits are more common," he said. "Late-planted fields are often more attractive to late flights of European corn borer."
Because most replanting won't occur for at least a week, producers will need to decide if they should plant shorter-season hybrids. Research has shown that delayed planting will result in hybrids maturing in fewer-than-expected growing degree days from planting, Nielsen said.
"The bottom line from this research is that a given hybrid maturity can be planted later than we once thought possible and still mature safely before a killing fall frost," Nielsen said.
Another Nielsen publication covers hybrid maturity issues. "Late Planting/Replanting and Relative Hybrid Maturity" is available online at http://www.kingcorn.org/news/articles.06/HybridMaturity-0516.html .
For more information about corn production, visit Nielsen's Chat 'n Chew Café Web site, located at http://www.kingcorn.org/cafe .
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