How Will Heavy Rains Impact Late Season Crops
Parts of Indiana and the Midwest saw heavy rains last week. Two and three inch totals were common, and flash flooding occurred in several areas of the state. With crops just a few weeks from harvest, what impact will these gullywashers have? With combines rolling in some fields and other moving quickly toward black layer, a sudden downpour is not what most growers want to see. Mary Gumz, Production agronomist with DuPont Pioneer, says crop damage will likely be minimal, “With well drained soils, most of the water from the heavy rains will have drained off by now.” She added that crops at this late stage of development are able to handle the heavy rains much better than if they if they had been at an earlier stage of development. But the increase of disease and stalk rot is possible especially in fields with heavier soils and not good drainage. In some fields with flash flooding, where water may have covered the ears, ear mold is something to watch for.
The rain, said Gumz, will not slow down field dry down, “The cool damp weather conditions will pose more of a problem for field dry down. The damp days with high humidity will slow field drying more than a heavy downpour.” As for soybeans, Gumz says the rain is likely to spark a renewed outbreak of SDS symptoms. Gumz says, weather permitting, harvest will continue to move ahead this week and early yields are looking good.
HAT meteorologist Rob Wasson says a cold front moving into the state mid-week will bring more rain, “Showers and thunderstorms will be likely statewide, with a few severe storms possible. The main threats will be damaging winds and possibly a tornado. Along with strong thunderstorms, heavy rainfall of 1.5 inches to 2.0 inches or more could drop across many farmlands.” After the front moves out on Thursday, much colder air plunges into the region, says Wasson . “This will keep us well below normal into the weekend and next week. Saturday and Sunday nights will have overnight lows in the 40s across much of the state, with the possibility of upper 30 low temperatures over northern Indiana.”