Wind and Hail Damage Area Crops

The injury from wind and hail damage hit many parts of northwest Missouri. Wind damage occurred about a month ago that affected northern Atchison, parts of Nodaway and Gentry counties. "Then we had two days of storms that combined straight wind and hail causing some of the worse crop injury that I have seen in my career in the Maryville area," explained Wayne Flanary, Agronomist with University of Missouri Extension.

Hail damage around the area varies in intensity. Crops around Maryville and Nodaway County were heavily damaged along with reports of damage in other counties. The worse hail damage looks as if the corn crop was harvested as the field is brown. Corn stalks are cut and lying on ground along with ears. Soybean stems also cut and lodged. This damage will be a complete loss.

Lighter damaged corn fields have shredded leaves, bruising and lodged corn. Most corn fields were in the dent stage. The starch is hardening causing a milk line. This line moves from the top of the kernel toward the cob. Kernels at this stage will not abort. Kernels may be lighter as the kernel continues to dry down. This is good news where corn fields have standing stalks with ears that can be harvested.

The wind damage from straight line winds broke and bent corn stalks over. In places, it's the whole field whereas others, there are areas within the field. This will be a slow harvest as growers try to pick-up as much lodged corn as possible.

As far as soybeans, the damage occurred during seed fill. The soybean plant takes energy from leaves and other plant parts and places this energy into the seed. Defoliation, broken stems, lodged soybeans all can be found.

Soybean plants will adjust growth for the condition of the individual plant. Four days after the injury, we are seeing brown pods which the soybean plant will abort and they will drop to the ground.

Soybeans will be affected greatly when leaves are lost and stems are bruised and cut. This damaged occurred during the critical seed fill. You can inspect your crops now and check for pod drop. With injury occurring this late in the season, plants will not compensate. They will set as much seed as each individual plant can with the stress placed on it.

The straight wind laid soybeans over in many fields. The shading affect of plants lying on top of each other will reduce yield.

For more information, contact Wayne Flanary at 660-446-3724 or Heather Benedict at 660-425-6434, Regional Agronomists, University of Missouri Extension.