News

Some farmers dealing with “sand blasted” corn

An agronomist says high winds and dust storms have injured emerging crops in multiple areas.

Matt Montgomery, with Pioneer, says sand blasted corn will take the green off the leaf.

He says, “Probably what will happen is that the leaves that haven’t been scoured, that have been tucked away and protected inside the whirl, will come out and be fine.”

He tells Brownfield while the damage is mostly cosmetic, it could lead to infection.

“See some splotches where bacteria have a nice entry point, but not so much fungus, so an increased need of fungicide, it’s not really the case.”  He says, “Because it’s really much more bacterial issues, and the fungicide isn’t going to touch them.”

Montgomery says patience and time are typically the best ways of dealing with sand blasted corn.