Jarrod O. Miller, Extension Agronomist, jarrod@udel.edu
We avoided most of the flooding seen in the Carolinas with Florence, but hurricane season lasts until the end of November. Some later planted corn is still drying down, so saturated soils and winds may cause lodging, but there are no hurricanes on the horizon that may cause those issues. Full season and double crop beans are more likely to have issues if another storm heads for the Delmarva. Depending on development stage, storm conditions could increase disease pressure, cause lodging and shattering. For more detailed information, check out NC State extension as they dealt with the aftermath of Florence (https://soybeans.ces.ncsu.edu/2018/09/soybean-considerations-following-hurricane-florence/)
For fields along tidal streams and shorelines, hurricanes could bring salt water across fields. It may be necessary to perform soil tests in these fields to check for salt levels prior to next year’s crop. In general, if Na makes up more than 15% of the cation exchange capacity, lower yields could be observed. Total salts (which can include Ca and Mg) may also cause issues in fields flooded with tidewater. Gypsum works well if Na is the only issue, but irrigation is needed to leach soils high in Ca, Mg and Na.