The NYU-Monsanto Maize Stalk Lodging Project.

Current methods of measuring stalk lodging are highly confounded by environmental effects complicating their use in selective breeding trials.

Recent collaborations between structural engineers from New York University and plant scientist from Monsanto suggest a novel approach to the problem of stalk lodging.  In particular, a handheld, field deployable device that uses principles of engineering beam theory to predict stalk strength has been developed.  The device can be operated by a single user and is capable of predicting stalk bending strength with four times the accuracy of rind penetration resistance (a predominant method in the field). It is able to test approximately 120 – 180 stalks per hour. Furthermore, its predictions are not confounded by environmental variables such as planting density, weather, or disease.  An added advantage of the device is that it does not damage the plant thereby enabling temporal analyses of stalk strength.

This technology is currently under patent protection and should become available as a commercial product within the next 2 years. Thus far the device has been tested on maize and sorghum plants in field trials as well as in controlled laboratory settings. The developers are currently seeking collaborators to use the device in selective breeding trials of cereal crops.