Short‐stature maize reduced wind damage during the 2020 midwestern derecho, improving yields and greenhouse gas outcomes

Abstract

Future agricultural systems will need to become more resilient as climate change impacts increase. One expected outcome of climate change is an increase in severe thunderstorms with high velocity straight line winds. In August 2020, a derecho, a cluster of thunderstorms generating high‐speed prolonged‐duration straight line winds, swept through Iowa and Illinois in the north central U.S. Corn Belt. Damage estimates from the derecho range up to US$11.2 billion, with significant impacts to crops, stored grain, and property throughout its path. Fourteen field locations of short‐statured maize research hybrids were growing within the path of the derecho, where data was collected on their lodging damage resistance compared with isogenic and near isogenic tall counterparts. For short‐stature maize, an average of 25% of plants were damaged, compared with 50% for isogenic tall hybrids (across all locations; p = .0009). This decreased lodging damage was associated with a mean estimated yield advantage of 1.57 t ha–1 for short‐stature maize across the breadth of the storm (p = .0011). Economic and environmental models indicated that planting short‐stature maize hybrid across the storm area could have prevented the loss of approximately $938 million in revenue and 1.48 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents.

The brachytic2 mutation alone or its combination with the brown midrib3 mutation improves fiber digestibility in forage maize

“…Those findings, along with those from Barten et al. (2022), suggest that the higher fiber digestibility of SSM is not at the expense of stalk strength or plant standability.…”

“…addition, STM_A, a synonym of stalk thickness, was significantly increased in SSM versus tall hybrids (+0.32 cm 2 ), while RND_F remained unchanged. Those findings, along with those from Barten et al (2022), suggest that the higher fiber digestibility of SSM is not at the expense of stalk strength or plant standability.…”

“…SSM hybrids could serve well the silage maize market needs. The strong agronomic and standability of SSM (Barten et al., 2022) will help secure dairy cow feed, for which dependency on silage maize has strongly increased over the years in many countries. The benefits resulting from the high feeding value and strong agronomics of SSM will have a positive impact on the economics of dairy farms.…”

“…Short stature maize (SSM) plants carry the br2 mutation. The resulting greater standability triggered the development of SSM hybrids to prevent losses in maize productivity (Barten et al, 2022). Byers et al (1965) first reported on the enhanced feeding value of dwarf maize.…”

A Crucial Role for Technology in Sustainable Agriculture

“…Severe lodging can lead to complete yield loss, thus wasting all the inputs of fertilizer, fuel, pesticides, and labor, as well as potentially disrupting years of reduced tillage management and carbon capture in the soils. 83 In many cases, these catastrophic lodging events can require additional inputs to clear the fields of debris and prepare the crops for planting the subsequent crop. This example illustrates that the assessment of sustainable practices should include multiple years of data to account for impact or avoidance of catastrophic loss due to genetics, traits (native or biotech), and practices that are used when these events arise.…”