ASSESSING OFF COLOURED FIELDS
A number of corn fields across the countryside are expressing a degree of yellow and shorter statured growth that has many growers asking what is going on with their crop.In many instances this yellowing takes on the presence of what visullay appears as Mn, Zinc , S, or Mg deficiency.

Though the crop may be currently expressing what appears to be a micronutrient deficiency of one kind or another I don't believe that most soils are actually short of these micros.What I do believe is that the crop is temporarily experiencing an environmentally induced micronutrient deficiency.

The abundance of rain that we have been receiving over the last 2-3 weeks has temporarily curtailed downward root growth thereby diminishing the plants ability to extract the necessary nutrients for normal growth from the total soil volume.When this occurs the reduced uptake of N as well as micronutrients makes the plant take on a pale green to limy yellow colour.

Don't be overly alarmed at this temporary yellowing in your corn crop.Roots just need to be given an opportunity to explore more soil volume to search out the necessary nutrients that will turn your crop back to a vibrant rich dark green.



Give the crop a week to 10 days of drier warmer weather and voila roots will proliferate to a deeper depth finding more available micronutrients and utilizable Nitrogen

Growers will be amazed at how readily the crop will take on a new resurgence of growth and turn from a dreaded off coloured limy green to a rich healthy vibrant green.