Table 1. Average daily corn water use, water use per growth stage, and cumulative water use over the course of the growing season.
Table 2. Estimated corn yield loss when drought stress persists for four or more consecutive days. (Drought stress indicated when the uppermost, fully expanded leaf was visibly wilted.)
Licht, M. and S. Archontoulis. 2017. Influence of Drought on Corn and Soybean. Iowa State Univ. Extension.
Figure 1. Corn plants at the V3-V4 showing severe stress during the drought of 2012. Drought symptoms at this stage may include leaf rolling, reduced growth, leaf death, and – in severe cases – plant death.
Figure 2. Left: Rootless corn caused by shallow planting followed by dry soil conditions, which inhibited nodal root development. Right: Underdeveloped and callused brace roots resulting from hot, dry conditions during brace root development.
Five management practices can help make the crop more resilient to early-season drought stress when it occurs:
The foregoing is provided for informational use only. Please contact your Pioneer sales professional for information and suggestions specific to your operation. Product performance is variable and depends on many factors such as moisture and heat stress, soil type, management practices and environmental stress as well as disease and pest pressures. Individual results may vary. Pioneer® brand products are provided subject to the terms and conditions of purchase which are part of the labeling and purchase documents.