Plants need water to grow, right? Right. So a wet spring means a bumper cropof, say, corn in the Midwest this fall, right? Not necessarily!Studies done by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) andAccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Dale Mohler, have shown thatabove-average precipitation in the Midwest during spring tends to limit theupside of crop yield.Some reasons for this include a larger percentage of fields go unplanted.
This is often due to wet soil or flooding. By the time fields dry out, it maybe too late for the crop to grow and mature.
You need a near-perfect balance of warmth, moisture and sunshine tocounteract the delayed planting. If a crop is sown too late, the planttypically has to mature during the mid- to latter part of summer. Under thesehot, dry conditions, smaller or less than ideal grain results.
The delays of a wet spring, as well, may prevent some farmers from sowing asecond crop of the same or different variety.
Additionally, delayed planting can put the crop at greater risk if there isa late-summer or early autumn frost.
AccuWeather.com is forecasting a rather stormy and cool summer 2009 for alarge part of the Midwest. While the cool, moist conditions could helpsituations where crops were planted late this year, it could lead todisease-related problems as well.
Story by AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
