Emergency Response Strategies for Corn Lodging

Affected by Typhoon Lekima, many areas in Shandong have been battered by violent winds and torrential rains, leading to widespread flooding of greenhouse vegetables and extensive lodging of corn. The post‑lodging management practices vary, and the resulting yield will inevitably differ; improper handling can cause root and stem breakage, significantly exacerbating losses. So, what is the most appropriate and effective approach to address corn lodging?

Due to the typhoon, corn has suffered widespread lodging.

I. Drainage in Low-Lying Areas

Corn is neither drought‑tolerant nor flood‑tolerant. When strong winds and heavy rainfall cause lodging, large amounts of water accumulate in the fields, saturating the soil and leading to poor plant development. If corn remains submerged for more than three days, it will die due to oxygen deficiency. Therefore, during periods of intense rainfall when low‑lying areas become severely waterlogged, it is essential to drain the fields promptly to reduce soil moisture and minimize corn mortality.

II. Apply foliar fertilizer promptly

After corn lodging, with stems prostrate on the ground, leaf photosynthesis is significantly reduced. At the same time, excessive soil moisture severely impairs root nutrient uptake. Under these conditions, promptly apply a quick‑acting foliar fertilizer to replenish nutrients. Once the weather improves, spray the foliage with Heizefeng or Yelei, applying once a week for 2–3 consecutive applications; this will help promote earlier maturity.

III. Regarding the Issue of Manual Uprighting

Once corn plants lodge, the most vexing question is whether or not to straighten them. In fact, whether to prop them up should be determined on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the specific circumstances, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach.

1. Treatment of mildly lodged corn

For corn that is only slightly lodged or in a semi‑lodged state, it is best to refrain from propping it upright. Similarly, once the plant has developed small white tassels, further support should be avoided to prevent damage to the root system and adverse effects on growth and development; otherwise, the stalks and roots may break, leading to secondary injury and reduced yields. At this stage, foliar fertilization can be applied to help the plants gradually straighten and mature during the later growth phase.

2. Treatment of Severely Lodged Corn

For corn that has suffered severe lodging or has completely collapsed, timely manual uprighting is essential. At this stage, small wooden sticks can be used to support the plant’s white roots, lifting the ear off the ground to prevent mold. Ideally, lodged plants should be propped up on the same day they fall; in particular, corn that has been lying down for three days or longer should no longer be straightened, as doing so may easily cause secondary damage.

Recommended action: When manually propping up corn plants, tie nearby stalks together with rope, then mound soil around their bases. Be sure to build the soil mound high and thick, and firmly tamp it down to prevent the plants from lodging again during the next strong winds or heavy rains.

3. Corn with broken stalks

For corn that has already been broken, it should be removed from the field to prevent pest infestations and fungal diseases that may arise as the crop decays and spread to other plants. If large areas have lodged, after clearing the field, early‑maturing crops can be planted.

IV. Disease Prevention After Lodging

If corn brown spot, leaf spot, or other diseases are detected in lodged fields, promptly apply fungicides such as chlorothalonil, carbendazim, or thiophanate‑methyl for control. Typically, spray once a week, repeating 2–3 applications to prevent the disease from spreading to other plants.

Key takeaways:

The corn growing season coincides with the rainy, storm-prone summer months. To minimize the risk of lodging, it is advisable to select lodging‑resistant varieties and to apply appropriate fertilizer formulations. In the areas affected by Typhoon Lekima, corn treated with controlled‑release fertilizers demonstrated significantly greater lodging resistance than that treated with conventional fertilizers.

Use Nongda Heikong 26-5-9; it enhances corn’s resistance to lodging.

The image is taken from a screenshot of the video, filmed in Rongcheng, Weihai.

The primary reason is that controlled-release fertilizers can precisely regulate nutrient release, providing an appropriate supply of nutrients in the early growth stage and thereby preventing excessive stem elongation. This effectively promotes deeper root development, resulting in thicker, shorter internodes at the base of the plant, which supports robust, well‑balanced growth and enhances the crop’s drought resistance and lodging resistance. By contrast, conventional fertilizers lack this controlled‑release mechanism; their nutrients are released too rapidly and in overly concentrated doses during the early stages, leading to excessively fast stem growth, poor root penetration, and weaker, more slender plants, thus reducing their ability to withstand lodging.