A common question Stine agronomists have been asked this growing season is why are corn and soybeans short this year? Here are a few considerations to keep in mind if short or stunted plants are a concern.
Plant height, like yield, is controlled by two separate factors in both corn and soybeans.
- Genetics play a significant role in the height of various phenotypes of plants. In fact, Stine is the first seed company in the industry to recognize the value of short-stature plants. Through our research, we’ve recognized that tall plants are not necessary to produce big yields, and, in fact, they may work against producing big yields because large quantities of nutrients and water are necessary to grow tall plants. There is also significant documentation in corn that the greater the distance between the silk and tassel, the greater the possibility of pollination problems. So we’ve worked with our breeding partners to lower the overall height (reducing the stature) of the plant while maintaining ear height, which resulted in our custom designed HP Corn — the world’s first commercially available short-stature corn hybrids. HP Corn is engineered to thrive in increased populations, and they’re able to do so because of the unique genetics that make the plants shorter and narrower in stature. Now, we’re seeing other seed companies recognize the value of shorter plants. We’re proud of our leadership position in this, which has allowed us to provide growers the hybrids of the future, faster.
When it comes to soybeans, Stine researchers believe the same line of thought; to achieve higher yields and increased profits, you will need genetics proven to thrive in high population environments. In soybeans, pod clustering plants and branchy varieties tend to produce higher yields without the necessity of large bushy and tall plants that can lodge easily. So when our breeding partners choose new material based purely on yield, they often choose those plants that are shorter in stature naturally. - Genetics are not the only contributing factor in a plant’s height. Environmental elements in specific geographies can also affect height. In many parts of the country, we had an extremely wet spring that prevented plants from growing deep root systems. Water and nutrients were readily available and growth came easy, but then conditions changed. The rain slowed down and the temperatures increased, reversing the “good” growing conditions. These conditions combined with a shallow root system left plants struggling for moisture and nutrients. When this happens, cells are not able to elongate as much and, sometimes, not as many cells are produced. This scenario causes the internode, or distance between leaf collars on corn and branches on soybeans, to be shorter than other previous nodes. You can easily check this by measuring the lowest nodes of corn and soybeans to the upper nodes.
Shorter stature corn and soybean plants may be a natural evolution of the genetics selected for higher-yielding corn and soybean seed, or it could be a result of varying environmental conditions. Keep these factors in mind when deciding if your shorter plants require extra management this growing season:
Benign
- Genetics
- Changing growing conditions
- Over/under hydration
- Lack of nutrients
Should be investigated
- Herbicide carryover (stunted)
Herbicide carryover
While not as common, herbicide carryover could cause stunted plants. The one way to identify a shorter plant versus a stunted plant is, again, to measure the distance between the nodes. Stunted plants will have consistently short internodes that can be caused by herbicide carryover or some other abiotic stressor that should be investigated.
In summary, growers may have done nothing wrong to have short corn or soybeans. In many cases, shorter plants may be a sign of higher-yielding genetics like that of our HP Corn hybrids. That said, if you have concerns that genetics aren’t causing short or stunted plants in your field, please consult with your Stine sales representative or regional sales agronomist. They’ll be happy to assist you with any concerns you have this growing season.