As the plant's moisture loss slows, its internal water pressure rises again.
Severe and prolonged heat are obviously a major cause of pineapple leaves, but so are dry, low-humidity days where the plant rolls its leaves to restrict evaporation.
So clearly moisture stress drives this reaction, but why do some corn leaves roll when just across the road the neighbor's corn looks perky and happy?
The answer is often in the roots, Montgomery said.
Sometimes, when moisture is abundant early in the season, corn roots get a little lazy. With plenty of water in the top few inches, they don't spread as deeply into the soil profile as they can. Then, when a dry spell hits, these shallow root systems can find themselves stranded.
"Anything that restricts root growth can cause the same symptoms," Montgomery added.
Field differences -- such as compacted soil -- and hybrid differences can also contribute to leaf rolling, Montgomery added. "In some plants, the bladders in the leaf will shrink a little earlier than another hybrid."
While leaf rolling is a good mechanism for slowing water loss, it isn't ideal or sustainable for the corn plant.
"Seeing corn leaves rolling isn't something to automatically worry about," Montgomery said. "The issue is how long it's exposed to that moisture stress." After multiple days of rolling up so tightly that the leaves resemble pineapple plants or sticks, yield loss can begin, he said.
Corn plants aren't alone in their efforts to conserve water.
When soybean plants start to feel moisture stress, tiny cells at the base of their leaves step up to protect the plant. Montgomery compares them to a person's wrists. "Like a wrist with a hand, they will twist the leaf around to show its silvery underside to reflect more solar radiation."
The result are fields that take on a grey or silvery cast, he said.
There are no products beyond rainfall (or irrigation) to fix these moisture-stressed plants -- and don't believe anyone who tries to tell you otherwise, Montgomery added.
"That's a bill of goods -- there's no magic sauce to put on the crop to fix drought," he said. "You need moisture for drought stress -- that's what fixes it."
For more information on corn rolling, see this publication from Purdue University's Bob Nielsen: https://www.agry.purdue.edu/….
Editor's Note: This story was originally published in June 2016, and it is being reprinted for the 2021 season. See the original here: https://www.dtnpf.com/….
Emily Unglesbee can be reached at Emily.unglesbee@dtn.com.
Follow her on Twitter @Emily_Unglesbee.
(c) Copyright 2021 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.
The Link LonkJune 17, 2021 at 03:16PM
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The Pineapple Effect Why Are My Corn Leaves Rolling? - DTN The Progressive Farmer - DTN The Progressive Farmer
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