Should late emerging plants be protected during row cultivation?
• If the delayed plants emerge 1 to 2 weeks late, use shields and avoid burying seedlings during cultivation. • Protect plants emerging 3 weeks late, if 50% or more of the plants in the stand are late emergers. • If less than 25% of the stand emerges 3 weeks late or later, it probably will not pay to encourage their survival. Yields will be about the same whether or not these delayed plants are buried during cultivation. More detailed information on making such replant decisions is provided in National Corn Handbook Chapter 36, “Effects of Uneven Seedling Emergence in Corn”.
