The extreme wind storms known as derechos have been popping up across the corn belt from Nebraska to Indiana this year. Fred Below, University of Illinois professor of crop physiology, says short-stature corn could provide growers a leg up on these types of conditions.
“I won’t tell you short corn won’t fall down in a derecho — it will,” Below says. “But I guarantee you if you have the tall comparator next to the short one, the short one will go down less.”
Below believes short corn is the next major innovation in hybrid technology and could change a lot of growers’ businesses. He shares there are two additional advantages to this type of hybrid.
- Easier in-season application of biologicals or fertilizer. This would allow for multiple undercover applications during the growing season – meaning poor weather conditions could become less of an issue because the window to apply is wider.
Less energy goes toward growing the corn stalk, meaning more is available for the grain and root system.
“This is a huge physiological advantage. The energy that it would have used to grow stalk is now free energy for the root and intershoot at exactly the right time,” he says. “Normally I tell you that you’ll pay for root in yield. But not with this. This is a freebie.”
But just like every other hybrid, there are pros and cons to short corn. Below says it’s critical to make sure the ear grows high enough to easily combine.
“The single most important thing with short corn is fertility,” he says. “If you have the right fertility, that ear will be over 24", and you’ll be able to harvest it. If you go short on fertility, the ear will be too short.”
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