Greensnap, also known as “Brittle Snap” or “Brittle Corn” is the breaking of corn plants during a period of rapid growth & development due to extreme wind events.

The Greensnap Triangle

Timing is everything! The “Greensnap Triangle” pictured above shows the key factors that have to be present at the exact same time in order for greensnap to happen.

Wind Events

Certain areas of the corn belt experience more greensnap than others. One key reason is the amount of naturally occurring wind patterns. The picture above highlights the areas of the United states that annually receive higher wind speeds. It’s no surprise to see a clear line forming along the I-35 corridor through the heart of the Midwest.

Rapid Growing Conditions

Greensnap naturally targets fields with the best growing conditions. Fields with high organic matter, excellent base fertility, irrigation, starter fertilizer, and other high yield management practices increase the rate of plant growth and cell wall expansion. It’s important to note that the same hybrid planted under different management conditions can result in drastically different amounts of greensnap should a wind event occur.

Susceptible Hybrid

All corn hybrids have the potential to greensnap. The highest risk of greensnap occurs during the vegetative periods between V6 & VT of the corn plant’s life cycle, also known as the rapid growth phase, shown in the picture below.

Once the reproductive phase starts, the corn plant begins to strengthen the nodes and stalk from the bottom up in order to support the developing ear. Every corn hybrid does this process at different rates of speed, making every hybrid susceptible to greensnap for varying lengths of time.

Greensnap Vulnerability Ratings

Every corn hybrid can greensnap if mother nature delivers the right conditions. However, some genetics do get more brittle than others and are more vulnerable . At AgriGold, we evaluate hybrids for greensnap and monitor trends along the way. We rate our hybrids as low, moderate, or high vulnerability greensnap.

• Low —Rare cases of greensnap reported or lower percentages of greensnap reported during wind event evaluations from multiple sites
• Moderate — Slightly higher levels of greensnap or low to medium percentages of greensnap reported during wind event evaluations from multiple sites.
• High- Highest levels of greensnap or highest percentages of greensnap reported during wind event evaluations from multiple sites.

Hybrid Ratings

The hybrid ratings below indicate the potential greensnap susceptibility among AgriGold Hybrids. Ratings should be used as a risk management tool. Just because a hybrid has a rating of Low doesn’t guarantee greensnap resistance.