Severe lodging in maize lands on Cedara on the 24 February 1985 was caused by a rainstorm registering Force 10 on the Beaufort scale. Large differences in lodging existed between plots in three tillage trials. In two identical primary tillage trials, four different systems of soil preparation were being compared; in the other, direct drilling was being compared to ripping with a specialized slant-legged plough. In all three cases, standability under direct drilling was more than double that under any other treatment. It appears that the firm soil condition occurring at the surface under direct drilling provides better anchorage for the maize roots, thus preventing severe root lodging. Stem lodging constituted a greater proportion of total lodging under direct drilling than under the other tillage treatments.S. Afr. J. Plant Soil1986, 3: 165–170