Crop emergence is being hindered by soil crusting in northern Iowa.
Iowa State University Extension agronomist Angie Rieck-Hinz says some heavy rains fells the last week of April.
“So those highly-tilled soils, there’s not a lot of residue left (and) there’s not any soil structure left from tillage (so) they tend to crust over. The silts and the clays just kind of pack together, and then when it dries out we get like a little concrete layer.”
She tells Brownfield some soil crusts measure nearly two inches thick and corn and soybeans are emerging unevenly.
“Either the corn is leafing out underground, or the hypocotyls on the soybeans in some cases have snapped off already. There’s just too much pressure on them and they can’t push up through that crust.”
Rieck-Hinz says a rotary hoe can help break up soil crusting but cautions growers to know where the crop is to prevent damage.
