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Wait 72 hours after frost to evaluate
DES MONIES (DTN)--Don't be in a hurry to evaluate frost damage.
After a frost of 28 degrees or below, farmers need about 72 hours of warmer weather to evaluate damage to corn and soybeans, according to Bob Hall, Extension crops specialist in a news release from South Dakota State University.
Hall said it takes at least 72 hours for the plant's systems to begin functioning again so that damage can be evaluated. He added that the longer temperatures remain at 28 degree or below, the greater the damage.
"The faster the temperatures rebound, the greater the chance that there will be some recovery," Hall said.
Producers whose corn has not reached the V6 stage, with the growing point still below the ground, may be somewhat protected. Corn at the V6 or V7 stage (six inches above ground) may have been damaged, he said.
Hall added that there is no proven advantage to mowing tops of corn that has suffered frost damage at the tip. Corn that is still growing will not be hindered by dead growth at the tip, he said.
Farmers need to especially watch soybeans for three days, or 72 hours, after a frost. They are more vulnerable because the growing point is exposed once the plant has emerged, Hall said. Look for auxiliary buds that signal the plant has resumed growth, he said, even if some of the leaf material appears dead.
Date: 5/18/04
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