To the average person driving by a field with scattered corn plants popping up among rows of soybeans, it’s hard to see a problem. The rogue plants germinated from kernels left behind from the last corn harvest.
Free corn, right?
Unfortunately, it’s the opposite. “Volunteer corn in a soybean field acts as a weed, robbing nutrients, inviting pests like corn rootworm and causing soybean yield losses of 10 to 50%,” says Debalin Sarangi, University of Minnesota Extension weed specialist.
It also disrupts the crop rotation and throws a wrench into harvest time. It even has the potential to mess with a variety’s identity preservation and international trade.
“Volunteer corn often comes from a hybrid developed to survive herbicide treatments, making it a more difficult weed to control,” says Ryan Miller, Extension crop educator. “Farmers can walk the fields to pull a few plants by hand, but it can be prolific and fields can be hundreds of acres.
According to an Extension team that includes Sarangi and Miller, the challenge has been to find safe, cost-effective treatments that reduce weeds and herbicide-tolerant volunteer corn.
“Soybean growers have herbicide tolerant varieties that help manage weeds, but some traits have further complicated the management of volunteer corn,” adds Miller.
Through new research in Waseca and Rochester, Extension has discovered strategies to improve the situation for farmers.
First, the team intentionally planted corn to mirror volunteer corn populations. Then, they evaluated the efficacy of herbicide tank mixes, along with sequential applications. The team has been sharing results and recommendation on managing volunteer corn through courses and at events.
“This checkoff-supported research illuminates the impacts of herbicide antagonism on volunteer corn management,’’ says David Kee, director of research, Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council. “Failure to control volunteer corn can affect this year’s soybean yield and next year’s corn.”
Providing useful strategies for managing volunteer corn benefits soybean crops that contribute well over $5 billion in production value to Minnesota’s economy each year.
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