T hat rainbow of colors in many corn fields this spring had farmers scratching their heads. Instead of lush, green fields, that's what they saw.
Young corn is supposed to be green.
Joe Link Bob Nielsen, Purdue University Extension specialist, wasn't surprised, given the cool weather at planting throughout the Midwest. He explains that corn grows and develops best with sunny days and warm temperatures, two things that were lacking earlier this year. In addition, much of the corn was planted in early to mid-April, when temperatures traditionally are even cooler. Warm, sunny days usually correct many of the color problems, transforming yellow-green fields to dark green. Yet different colors in corn also can be a sign of other problems.