Planting progress in 2026 has progressed (and in some cases finished) much faster than any year in my recent memory. While early planting has certainly increased in the last several years (particularly with soybean) this year still stands alone with the respect to the number of acres planted in March-Early April in West and Middle Tennessee, especially with corn…
Over the past 10 days, I have received numerous calls related to issues with corn emergence. In nearly every case both affected plants and non-affected plants are next to or very close to one another in the same local area, even within a few feet within the same row.
Affected plants are displaying “cork-screw” mesocotyls as they are trying to push through the soil surface and emerge, while unaffected plants are in close proximity. So, what gives?
If you’ve ever spoken to one of us as Specialists, you’ve likely heard a similar set of questions…
- Hybrid / variety?
- Planting date/environment?
- Fertility regimen?
- Herbicide program?
Hybrid
This has occurred in Tennessee (and other states as well) in 2026 across multiple hybrids. I’ve checked lot #’s as well and haven’t come up with anything hybrid-specific as of now.
Fertility Applications
Most fertilizer-related seedling issues are caused by getting starter fertilizer too-close to the seed, which hasn’t been the case in the pictures shown.
Herbicide Program
While Verdict (dimethenamid) can cause similar injury as shown, I’ve seen this in fields without Verdict… Nevertheless, potential herbicide sensitivity due to an excessively dry spring and early-planting (more potential for carryover) are possibilities we’ll always run down. Thankfully, I had Dr. Steckel with me on a few of these calls and he definitively ruled out Verdict or group 15 herbicide injury altogether.
Environment…
The commonalities between affected locations circle around the impact of environmental conditions post-planting. Early planting, non-uniform depth to moisture, non-uniform planting depth, and a few nights in the upper 30’s have been enough to cause differential damage to emerging corn. So far, crusting at the soil surface has not been an issue .
In each case, I had no issue finding a very “intact” seed furrow trench 4 weeks after planting. Furthermore, the seed of most of the affected seedlings had very poor soil contact, with the majority sitting in small air pocket. Air, as opposed to soil, surrounding the seed can allow cooler air temperatures to penetrate the soil and affect seedling growth. During a cold snap, the soil acts as an insulator relative to the atmospheric air temps. Introduce more air into the soil and this insulating capacity is reduced.
Purdue has a few really good articles that I always share as well.
“Corkscrewed” Mesocotyls: What Does it Mean?
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you are having issues in your field. The decision to keep or re-plant will depend on the level of incidence, severity, and time (calendar date decision is being made). But I have yet to run into a re-plant scenario so far this year.
Jake
