Lodging in small grains has been shown to reduce yield and quality of the grain in addition to the harvesting difficulties incurred. Eldredge obtained a yield reduction of 47 percent by bending over oat straws as the heads were emerging from the boot. The yield decreased with injury at succeeding weekly intervals until just before ripening when the loss was 12 percent. Pendleton found that Clinton oat yields were reduced 37 and 17 percent by complete lodging four and 20 days after heading respectively. The plots lodged at 45 degrees on the same two dates yielded 14 and three percent less, respectively, than the non-lodged plots. In barley, Sisler and Olson and Day obtained yield reductions of as much as 50 percent when barley was completely lodged. They noted greater losses in barley yields lodged at heading than at 10 or 20 days after heading. Laude and Pauli reported that winter wheat yield was reduced one third by lodging one to two weeks before and after heading. They speculated that the effect of lodging on yield and quality of wheat was associated with the capacity of the plants to recover from tissue damage and the extent to which materials were translocated to the developing kernels prior to the time of injury. All varieties of wheat tested by Schlumberger and Spahr recovered from lodging which occurred during heading
