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Weather shifts could lead to more resilient crops

A plant pathologist with University of Tennessee Extension says she’s optimistic the recent conditions can create more resilient crops this year.

Heather Kelly tells Brownfield the recent rains and cooler temps have brought some balance to the widespread drought conditions.

“It’s almost like April and May have been switched, right? We were really warm in April, even though we were dry. And now, all of a sudden, we’ve got some of these cooler days with rain coming in May.”

Kelly says seedling diseases are typical with lots of moisture and cooler temps in the spring, but the drought has balanced that out. She says it will be interesting to see how the crops do as the season progresses.

“To see if these drier conditions in certain areas, if they weaken the plant from the start. Honestly, as much as we think we need so much water to establish our crops, sometimes it’s actually less water than we think, and it actually pushes the plant to have a stronger, deeper root system.”

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor says much of the Delta remains in a drought, with extreme conditions in the northwest and southern parts of Tennessee.