Corn Emergence
Temperature
- Even emergence is critical to maximizing corn yield
- It takes 100-120 GDU’s for corn to spike
- The warmer the soil the quicker corn will emergence:
- 50-55° F soil temps = 18-21 days to emerge
- 60-65° F soil temps = 8-10 days to emerge
- Chilling injury can occur when soil temp’s are less than 50° F which may result in reduced and uneven stands
- Plant into a warming trend to maximize emergence
- Use www.advantageacre.com to identify warming trends
Chilling Injury
Moisture
- Corn seeds must imbibe roughly 1/3 of their weight in soil moisture to start the germination process
- For even emergence, place seed in an even level of soil moisture
- The minimum planting depth should be 1.75”
- AgriGold and University research indicates safe planting up to 3” or deeper based on soil type; ideal 2-2.5” depending on moisture