Photo Gallery:
he torrential rains that saturated parts of Indiana in
early July 2003 created havoc for many fields of corn and soybean (see my
9 July article). The aftermath of the
ponding and outright flooding of fields was devastating. These images offer
some glimpses of the damage.
The first series of images depicts the consequences of five days or more of ponding in a field of corn wherein the "wet holes" had already been replanted once this season. The above-ground symptoms were lodged plants that were wilted and in the process of dying completely. The morbidly interesting below-ground symptom was that of one or more nodes of roots had become gray, swollen, and mushy. An associated symptom was a nauseating odor that most closely resembled that of decomposing pig manure. Indeed, the odor was probably that of methane which is produced during the anerobic (oxygen-deprived) decomposition of organic material. The cause of the root death was likely oxygen deprivation due to the ponding itself and continued saturated soils as the surface water drained away.
 Root lodging & plant death after 5 - 7 days of ponding. |
 Closer view of stalk and root tissue damage due to oxygen deprivation. |
 Symptoms of root death by "drowning" or oxygen deprivation. |
 Closer view of dead root tissue caused by oxygen deprivation. |
 Stalk & root tissue death associated with oxygen deprivation in soggy soils. |
 Stalk & root tissue death associated with oxygen deprivation in soggy soils. |
 Stalk & root tissue death associated with oxygen deprivation in soggy soils. |
 Closer view of stalk and root tissue damage due to oxygen deprivation. |
The second series of images illustrates a peculiar form of "leaf firing" that often occurs within a few days of a significant ponding event. The leaf discoloration primarily occurs on the lowest leaf on the plant that was heretofore still green. The entire leaf turns a vibrant orange-yellow while leaves above it remain their normal green. It's thought that this rapid orangeish discoloration is an early response of the plant to initial stages of root death that occurs under saturated soil conditions. The symptom will appear on plants whether they were ponded or simply stressed with "soggy" soils. The symptom does not appear to be caused by true nitrogen deficiency because the remainder of the leaves remain fairly normal green subsequent to the ponding event. The orange-yellow leaves eventually die completely and wither away.
 Orange-yellow leaf "firing" on lower leaves of corn previously stressed by "soggy" or ponded soil conditions. |
 Closer view of orange-yellow discoloration of lower leaf. |
 Closer view of orange-yellow discoloration of lower leaf. |
The third series of images is simply a "rogues" gallery depicting the total devastation of corn and soybean crops caused by the flood waters of the Wabash River near West Lafayette, Indiana. The complete loss of the crops is a visually shocking scene. The depth of the flood waters in the fields depicted below was estimated to have been 10 - 12 feet. Only short stumps of soybean plants remained. Corn plants were broken over 6 - 12 inches above the ground in the direction of the moving flood waters. The colorless, barren appearance of the fields is reminiscent of that which you see driving up and down the roads in the fall after the crops are harvested.
 Complete loss of corn and soybean crop due to Wabash River flooding. |
 Complete loss of soybean crop due to Wabash River flooding. |
 High water mark of flood waters. |
 Corn stalks broken off by flow of flood waters. |
 Closer view of stalk breakage. |
 Corn stalks broken off by flow of flood waters. |
 Corn stalks broken off by flow of flood waters. |
 Hungry Japanese beetle with nothing to munch on. |
 Flood "art" created by deposits of mud on corn stalk. |
 Soybean plants destroyed by flow of flood waters. |
 Soybean plants destroyed by flow of flood waters. |