UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Although Pennsylvania farmers got a good start on corn planting this spring (more than 40 percent complete by mid-May), recent rainy weather likely will cause planting to fall behind average, says a corn management specialist in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

Gregory Roth, associate professor of agronomy, advises farmers not to panic, but to follow a few simple tips in approaching later plantings this year.

"Yield losses are not that great due to later planting," Roth says. "In fact, sometimes when planting has been completed quickly in recent years, we've had low yields, so farmers should wait until soil conditions are right. Weather patterns should grow more summer-like as the jet stream begins its retreat during the next few weeks.

"The state climatologist is predicting chilly conditions for the second half of May, followed by a significant warming trend and ending with another cool spell. Rainfall will taper off in the coming week, with a period of showers expected May 21 and 22, more projected for May 26 and 27 and again at the very end of the month. Rainfall should be above normal in most places, and it's better to wait for things to dry out. We always regret planting in a wet seedbed."

When soils finally dry out after wet-weather planting, Roth says, furrow sidewall compaction can hamper corn growth. So farmers shouldn't panic and begin planting in inappropriate conditions.

Other tips for dealing with the wet weather include:

· Don't delay planting due to tillage or spreading fertilizer. Consider no-till planting and sidedressing of fertilizer. · Don't be concerned about switching to shorter-season hybrids, at least until the last week of May -- unless you had selected some very full-season hybrids for your area.

· Consider using Bt hybrids. Recent research has shown corn planted later in May often encounters more second-generation corn borer damage and has a more consistent yield response to Bt than earlier planted corn.

· Reconsider the use of starter fertilizer on later planted corn. Starter benefits are generally small on many manured soils and they decline as planting is delayed.

· Plant the seed 1.5 to 2 inches deep. Shallow corn planting is more risky later in the season when conditions in the seed zone can quickly change to hot, dry and cloddy.

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EDITORS: Contact Gregory Roth at 814-863-1018 or gregroth@psu.edu (e-mail).

Contact:

Gary Abdullah gxa2@psu.edu 814-863-2708 814-863-9877 fax #160