Missouri saw plenty of stunted corn acres this growing season. And while there are no proven recommendations for alleviating the poor corn growth following prevented planting acres, University of Missouri Extension corn specialist Greg Luce says that prevention is the key when it comes to these acres.

Luce, along with fellow extension and industry agronomists believe that Fallow Syndrome in corn was the root cause of stunted corn this year. He offers a 4 ways to prevent stunted corn in 2017 if farmers run into prevented planting again.

STUNTED GROWTH: Corn in foreground followed soybean; the smaller, pale corn is growing following no crop in 2015.

1. Plant soybeans as long as you possibly can. Soybeans have the potential to yield reasonably well when planted late and are a tremendous crop for corn to follow.

2. If no crop is planted then plant a cover crop if at all possible. Grasses like cereal rye, wheat or oats would be good choices as would legumes. This would provide a host crop for the mycorrhizae and the earlier in the season, the better. Remember that brassicas like turnip and radish are not hosts to mycorrhizae and if used after fallow they would need to be mixed with host type cover crops.

3. Don’t skimp on phosphorus after fallow. If soil test levels are low, a banded starter application of phosphorus and zinc would be more effective than broadcast applications.

4. Soybeans are a good option. Consider planting soybeans after prevent plant acres as they are not as susceptible to Fallow Syndrome.

Typically, Luce says, the effects of Fallow Syndrome are not seen two years after the fallow period. So time can be a farmer’s friend.