Corn sweat and Missouri’s sticky summer heat

COLUMBIA, Mo. – High temperatures and high humidity coinciding with one of corn’s most critical growth stages results in a condition many refer to as “corn sweat.”

Corn sweat is a colloquial term for transpiration, the natural process of corn plants pulling water through their roots and releasing vapor, mostly through the stomata of their leaves, into the atmosphere, says Zachary Leasor, University of Missouri Extension state climatologist. This process helps cool the plant as moisture is released into the surrounding air. Combined with evaporation of water from the ground, the total process of evapotranspiration can make already-humid air even more humid in areas with widespread crop production.