Root anomaly sparks debate in the field

An unusual symptom identified in corn crops from the 2025 second-season planting has caught the attention of researchers and field technicians. In an area cultivated after soybeans, in the interior of São Paulo, adventitious roots with a formation similar to tillering were observed, a behavior that does not usually appear in healthy plants. The record was made in a crop sown at the beginning of March, highlighting a practical example of unexpected changes in root development. Adventitious roots arise from the stem nodes, typically from the V10 stage, contributing to the stability of the plant and the absorption of water and nutrients near the soil surface. The occurrence of tillering in this type of root does not appear in technical references, and according to researcher Mauricio Mega Celano from the ABC Foundation, there are no similar reports available in the literature or even on the internet that present this type of anomaly. The interpretation of the phenomenon remains open, ...