Evaluating Corn Performance Based on Injury Following a Major Hail Event.

One of the primary effects of climate change is an increase in erratic weather patterns which often result in severe crop damage from hail and strong winds. Approximately half of all hail storms in the U.S. occur in the early half of growing season while corn is still small and a replant decision is a viable option (Vorst, 2002). Replant decisions should occur about 7-10 days after a hail event. Producers and insurance adjusters often work together to assess the damage and determine the severity of loss and if replanting is a viable option. These assessments assume that corn hailed before V6 will produce similar grain yields regardless of the variation in damage between plants. Our objectives were to evaluate corn following actual hail events and determine the effect on development, phenology and yield based on the severity of initial damage on individual plants. We developed a unique visual scoring system to evaluate initial damage to corn plants following hail. In 2014, 100 corn plants were evaluated following hail events at 16 unique locations across Nebraska. A follow up study was conducted using a hail machine to simulate damage at V3-V4 corn on five separate planting dates during the 2015 growing season. Based on our scoring system we found that green tissue alone is not a good indicator of end of season performance. By utilizing a novel experimental design and scoring system our goal is to develop information to help hail industry and farmers predict corn crop performance following major hail events.

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 Vorst J.V. 2002. Assessing Hail Damage to Corn. National Corn Handbook. Iowa State University.

See more from this Division: ASA Section: Education & Extension
See more from this Session: Applied Agronomic Research and Extension: II

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