Originally published in Purdue Pest Management & Crop Production Newsletter (7 June 1996)

Benefits of Cultivating Corn


R.L. (Bob) Nielsen , Agronomy Department , Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1150
Internet address: rnielsen@purdue.edu

As you look ahead beyond planting to the time when corn may reach knee-high, consider the benefits of cultivating corn in 1996. Cultivation can be very beneficial to a corn crop even when weed control is not the intended purpose. Where fields have been pounded by heavy rains since planting, especially fields with light-colored soils (low organic matter), row cultivation can enhance corn root development by breaking the dense surface soil layers, encouraging better soil aeration, closing in cracks that may form as the surface dries, and reducing puddling and runoff from future rainfall events.


Return to the the Chat 'n Chew Cafe.

The Corn Growers Guidebook , a WWW resource for corn management systems in Indiana and the eastern CornBelt.

Purdue University Agronomy Extension WWW Home Page.

Purdue Agronomy On-Line! , Purdue's Agronomy Department WWW Home Page.


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