Rainy weather taking toll on crops

Dr. Mike Milam

This year has been a very difficult one for crop producers. We started the year with a delay in planting due to the excess soil moisture. The Missouri Crop Progress and Condition report for the week ending May 10 showed that only 26 percent of our cotton was planted compared with the average of 62 percent, which is 11 days behind the average. By May 24, 79 percent of the cotton was planted which was a week behind normal at 99 percent. In the June 7 Report, 93 percent of the cotton was planted which was 10 days behind normal.

According to the Missouri Crop Progress and Condition Report for the week ending June 21, our cotton crop is only 3 percent squaring which is 19 days behind the normal of 35 percent. For the week ending July 26, cotton had reached 94 percent squaring which was nine days behind normal. So we were catching up pretty quickly.

However, the best news comes from the USDA?s Economic Research Service which compiles the Cotton and Wool Report dated August 13. This report projects a yield of 1,061 pounds per acre. Last year at this time they were projecting our yield at 963 pounds per acre and we ended up with a new yield record of 1,106 pounds per acre. Then we got even better news. The Cotton and Wool Report for September 14 indicated that Missouri was forecast to have a record yield of 1,132 pounds per acre.

Then the real problems began. For the four weeks ending October 25, we have had enough rainfall to completely derail harvest. Dunklin County had 5.09 inches of rain during this period. The other cotton producing counties of Pemiscot, New Madrid, and Stoddard, had 6.81, 8.17, and 8.79 inches, respectively. It was not the total amount of rain, but the number of days that the rain fell. At Clarkton, we had 9 days in October with rainfall. Cardwell had only 8 days of rain, however, every time that it would almost dry out, rainfall would occur again. For the month of October, there was an average of 3 days a week suitable for farming operations. I actually think this was less on our immediate area.

As bad as things are now, I can?t imagine how it would have been before we used the module system. Now producers have a much higher capacity to harvest cotton than even ten years ago. Can you imagine what it would be like to be using only two and four row pickers?

On Sunday, I saw a field with two pickers, a boll buggy, and two module builders. When I came back by that field about 20 minutes later, they were moving the equipment to a new field. When the fields are dry enough and weather conditions are favorable, a lot of cotton can be harvested in a short period of time. I checked the weather forecast and it looks like good drying condition for most of next week.

With the excessive rainfall late in the season, we have had a problem with boll rot and problems with fiber quality. Grades will be lower the longer that the cotton stays in the field.

To date the Southeast Region has only 41 percent of our soybeans harvested compared with 51 percent last year. For the state, we only have 28 percent harvested compared with the average of 59 percent. The Southwest Region has only harvested 1 percent of their beans.

The rice crop was much later in maturity this year due to being planted late. Rice harvest is only 71 percent complete which is 21 days behind normal.

While we have harvested 98 percent of our corn crop, the state average is 43 percent. The Northeast Region has only harvested 18 percent of its corn. I saw a photograph earlier this week from Dr. Bill Wiebold, state agronomy specialist for corn and soybeans that showed corn sprouting in the field. He indicated that corn and soybean seeds possess several mechanisms that prevent sprouting before maturity. The primary mechanism is a growth hormone called abscisic acid (ABA). The concentrations of ABA in corn and soybean seeds peak during the middle of seed filling and begin to decrease as the seeds near maturity. This means that under the right set of environmental conditions, corn and soybeans can sprout in the field.

The two primary requirements for seed germination are temperatures above a minimum and moisture. The minimum temperature for corn seed germination is about 50¯F or a little cooler. Unfortunately, water for germination has been abundant this fall. Normally, corn husks protect mature kernels from moisture that may cause germination. If the ear turns downward at maturity, the husks shed water and the chances of kernels sprouting on the ear are almost eliminated. But, if the ear remains upward and the husks do not completely cover the ear tip, water from rain or even a heavy dew may run down the inside of the husks and pool at the butt end of the ear. Under these conditions, the husks trap water near the kernels and if temperatures are above 50¯F kernels will likely germinate.

Seedcotton can also sprout in the field because it is surrounded by lint which holds moisture. When cotton sprouts in the field it not only affects the value of the cottonseed, but it will have a harmful effect on fiber quality.

This year, the worst case scenario came true. Reductions in yield and quality will really affect the producer?s bottom line. Harvest operations are slowed considerably when fields are wet. If seedcotton is too wet when put into modules, there is the possibility of stained cotton and modules catching on fire by spontaneous combustion.

We should have a better idea of our cotton yield loss in the November Cotton and Wool Report. But it isn?t fun for the farming community when we have these adverse conditions.

University of Missouri Extension

programs are open to all.

Dr. Michael R. Milam is an agronomy

specialist and county program director with

University of Missouri

Extension in Dunklin County.