The Midwest will endure a particularly nasty stretch of heat and humidity this week, and many people are pointing to “corn sweat” as one of the driving forces. Think highs in the upper 90s and lows in the upper 70s as commonplace in the coming days.
Corn sweat refers to the evapotranspiration process (common across the plant world) where leaves release water vapor into the air through their stomata. The process is a sign of healthy plants and the health of its surroundings, said Talon Becker, a University of Illinois Extension commercial agriculture educator. Conversely, when plants become stressed, like during a drought, they close their stomata to conserve water — a defense mechanism that limits the plant’s growth..
During a healthy growing season, an acre of corn “sweats off” about 3,000 to 4,000 gallons of water a day, according to the U.S. Geological Survey…