Don’t let yields go sideways

How to rise above lodging in cereal crops

When cereal crops lodge, growers can expect yield loss and quality challenges. They may also be dealing with secondary diseases and higher costs to harvest, dry, clean and store grain. Growers can protect their profitability by choosing a crop care solution that strengthens stands and reduces plant stress.

Harvest loss of a bushel per acre per day

Lodging is responsible for an estimated harvest loss of up to a bushel per acre per day.¹ When a plant falls over, its nutrient and water uptake is affected, impacting its ability to flourish and diminishing grain quality. Too often cereals are lodged during the crucial grain fill period, creating the conditions for disease to flourish.

Two ways to lodge

Cereal crops can lodge in two ways – at the root, and at the stem. Lodging usually occurs when a plant is already weakened, and though the plant will continue to grow, it will lay sideways instead of growing in an upright position.

Growers pushing their crops with high nutrient levels and higher seeding rates have the potential to see fast growth or larger, taller plants that are more susceptible to lodging. Characteristics such as plant height at the centre of gravity, head size and weight, and stem thickness naturally make plants less stable.

Stronger, thicker stems

In cereal crops where nutrients – and yield potential – are high, a plant growth regulator like Moddus^® can be a valuable management tool to help create stronger stems. Moddus is formulated with trinexapac-ethyl, an active ingredient that limits the amount of gibberellic acid, a plant hormone that regulates growth in a cereal plant.

If conditions are promising for a high-yielding crop, a single, full-rate Moddus application at BBCH 30-32 can strengthen and thicken stems when they are most vulnerable to lodging.

One vs two applications of Moddus

Moddus can be applied in two half-rate applications to provide similar benefits to the traditional one application but increases flexibility of including the product with already planned herbicide and fungicide sprays.

The first application is from tillering to stem elongation (GS 21-24), and the second application is completed by the flag leaf stage (GS 37-39) and at least 7-10 days after the first.

When deciding between one full-rate application of Moddus or two half-rate applications, consider your risk of lodging.

Both methods performed equally in terms of height reduction and yield outcome in Syngenta small plot trials conducted between 2014-2017². The single, full-rate application performed better in high lodging conditions.

For growers looking to intensively manage their spring, durum, and winter wheat, Moddus is applied at 336 – 417 mL/acre, delivering 100-125 g ai as either a single application or split into two half rates. Moddus should not be applied past BBCH 39 and a maximum applied rate of 417 mL/ac (1.03 L/ha) totalling 125 g ai/ha per crop per season.

What to expect from Moddus

Growers who are new to Moddus have observed a visually different crop, with a shorter plant stand and head emergence that may look distinct compared to their untreated crop. It’s part of the natural process leading to stronger stems and shorter foundations that offer lodging prevention.

When stems are cut, growers may also notice stems treated with Moddus are slightly larger in diameter and the stem walls are thicker, resulting in a sturdier crop.

Learn more about Moddus as a management tool here.

¹ *Source: (Stapper and Fischer 1990) https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Genotype%2C-sowing-date-and-plant-spacing-influence-Stapper-Fischer/bc780ae197ff31ed00da55154696dc081a1dcf76#paper-header

² Source: Syngenta small plot trials in AB, SK and MB, 2014-2017. Spring wheat: plant height (n = 20), yield (n = 12), low lodging severity (n = 4), high lodging severity (n = 1). Barley: plant height (n = 10), yield (n = 9), low lodging severity (n = 3), high lodging severity (n = 3). Oats: plant height (n = 6), yield (n = 5), low lodging severity (n = 3), high lodging severity (n = 0).

Performance evaluations are based on internal trials, field observations and/or public information. Data from multiple locations and years should be consulted whenever possible. Individual results may vary depending on local growing, soil and weather conditions.

Always read and follow label directions. Moddus^® and the Syngenta logo are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company.