CHICAGO, June 18 (Reuters) - Bayer's Preceon variety of

short stature corn has been shown to withstand up to 75 mph

winds (120 kph) in some trials, the company said on Tuesday, but

could not withstand winds over 100 mph.

That means the corn could still be damaged by extreme

weather such as the derecho storm that hit the heart of the Corn

Belt in August 2020, causing $11 billion of damage, according to

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Bayer said

other short stature corn survives winds up to 50 mph.

A derecho is a type of large, long-lived thunderstorm

carrying damaging straight line winds. Scientists say extreme

weather events are becoming more common due to global warming.

"After 100 mph, nothing really stands," Bob Reiter, head of

research and development, crop science, at Bayer, told Reuters.

At an event in Chicago, the company said 390 farmers grew

the Preceon variety on around 35,000 acres in the U.S. and

Europe in a 2023 trial of the conventionally bred version of the

corn.

Bayer intends to make a genetically modified version of the

corn available in 2027 and is at work on a gene-edited version

"to appeal to various global markets." Bayer says the corn will

reduce yield losses due to extreme weather because it has less

height to catch wind.

Events such as the derecho storm that hit the U.S. Midwest

could become a bigger problem as warmer temperatures associated

with climate change escalate, according to Nick Vita, a

forecaster with Commodity Weather Group.

"Very warm temperatures can not only help with the intensity

but also the duration of these systems," Vita said.