Figure 1.

Failure patterns of cereal stalks. Natural failure patterns of cereal stalks vary by the crop type and age of the plant. (A) In small grains, the most common failure mechanism is buckling at the lower internodes. (B) However, in barley and oats, buckling of middle internodes or as high as the peduncle have been reported. (C) In contrast, for large grains, such as maize, mid‐season failure occurs in a green (or brittle) snapping pattern, with failure at the stem nodes. (D) For late‐season maize lodging, failure is defined by Brazier buckling of stem internodes, close to the node.