June 4, 2013
Texas corn crop recovers despite weather conditions
Texas corn production is back on track despite corn in some areas showed considerable damage from late frosts and freezes in April and early May.
This is according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service agronomist.
"Cooler weather has delayed planting a little bit in the Panhandle, but now that we have warmed up, everything has taken off," said Ronnie Schnell, AgriLife Extension agronomist specialising in corn and grain sorghum cropping systems, College Station.
Though most corn was not planted or emerged yet in the High Plains, the frost damage to corn during early May in Central Texas and the Brazos Valley looked pretty dramatic, Schnell said. Leaves were yellowed and wilted in many low-lying areas, but even then the corn was at a growth stage where it recovered.
"The five-leaf stage is what we consider to be critical," he said. "Before then, the growing point will be below the soil surface. After the five-leaf stage, it''s much more susceptible to damage. Everything was young enough that the growing points were protected. There was some leaf burn, foliage damage, but if it happens early, it generally does not have an effect on yield."
The May 28 USDA''s Texas Crop Progress Report, which is compiled from AgriLife Extension county agent reports, showed 95% of corn planted, with 44% rated as in good condition, 38% fair, 8% excellent and the remainder in poor to very poor condition.
On an average year, Texas farmers produce more than 200 million bushels of corn on two million acres, according to a Texas A&M University department of soil and crop sciences summary.
Approximately 50% of Texas cornis grown in the Panhandle under irrigation, Schnell said.