NOT ALL FARMERS BENEFIT FROM SHOWERS; SOME CROPS REFLECT IMPACT OF DRY SPRING

Thunderstorms and rain showers in the area last weekend brought welcome relief for farmers in the path of the storms.

But the widely scattered precipitation left many areas parched, and some crops already are beginning to reflect the impact of the dry spring weather, agriculture officials report.

David Guethle, extension agronomist for Scott and Stoddard counties, and his Cape Girardeau County counterpart, Gerald Bryan, said that in fields where no rain has fallen since last month, a thick crust has developed around the stalks of the young corn and sorghum plants.

The crust prevents proper root development and eventually causes the plant to break off at ground level, a condition known as "floppy corn syndrome."

Guethle said some of the winter wheat crop also is starting to suffer from low levels of topsoil moisture.

Bryan said the dry conditions coupled with the effects of April and May freezes has leveled a "double whammy" against the wheat crop.

"First, a lot of wheat fields got hit pretty bad by the freezes and frosts in April and early May," he said. "That will mean some reduced yields.

"Now, the dry weather is adding more stress to wheat with shallow root systems as it begins the maturing process."

Guethle said some alfalfa fields also are in poor condition because of the erratic weather.

Bryan said it's unusual to see dry soil conditions so early in the growing season.

"We don't see this kind of problem until later on in the summer," he said.

Steve Hollinger, a climatologist with the Illinois Water Survey, said soil moisture is low in a large part of the state. He said that if conditions don't improve, Illinois could see conditions similar to the severe drought in 1988.

"I'm not saying a drought is likely, but we usually see more soil moisture at this time of the year," he said.

But Bryan said a 1 or 1-inch rain would help finish the wheat crop, and would nurture the young corn and milo plants prior to the normally dry summer months.

He said the lack of rain also means water-activated herbicides applied after planting are ineffective.

The dry weather has forced many farmers to halt their spring planting until there's sufficient topsoil moisture to germinate and nourish newly planted crops.

But not all parts of the region are suffering dry conditions. The National Weather Service at St. Charles said up to 3 inches of rain fell from Saturday to Monday in an area 15 miles wide and 30-50 miles long extending from northeast Scott County, through eastern Cape Girardeau County into Union County, Illinois.

Amounts of 1 inch or less were reported by weather service radar in western Cape county and parts of Bollinger County, the weather service said.

But even in the heavier rainfall area, amounts varied. At the Cape Girardeau airport, .8 of an inch of rain fell during the period, although rain gauges in other parts of the city showed a three-day total of 1 to 2 inches.

The recent showers brought the May rainfall total to .86 inches, well below the long-term May average of 4.74 inches.

At the Jackson Police and Fire Station, rainfall during the weekend totaled .71 of an inch. But Jackson Fire Chief Gary Niswonger said heavier showers fell west and east of the city.

The weekend rains were the first substantial rainfall in the Southeast Missouri-Southern Illinois area since late April.

Total precipitation for the year is 12.14 inches, well below the average of 17.61 inches for Jan. 1 through May 15. Monthly precipitation totals were well below average in January, March and April, while February's total was only .07 of an inch above the long-term average.

In Scott and Mississippi counties, farmers started to use irrigation systems this month to water corn, soybeans and maturing winter wheat. Guethle said that doesn't usually happen until late June or early July.