CBOT near flat as planting faces weather delays

CHICAGO, April 21 (Reuters) - Chicago Board of Trade corn futures traded near flat on Monday as wet weather in the U.S. Midwest gave support but U.S. President Donald Trump's comments about U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell led to market jitters.

• July corn CN25 ended down 1/4 cent to $4.90 a bushel.

• Wet weather will likely slow corn planting in the Plains, northwestern Midwest and the Delta," said forecaster Vaisala.

• Corn futures were weighed on by comments from Trump calling Powell a "major loser" and warning of an economic downturn in the U.S. if interest rates are not cut immediately. The comments caused concerns about the autonomy of the Federal Reserve among investors.

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture is slated to issue a weekly update on planting progress on Monday at 3 p.m. CDT (2000 GMT)

• U.S. farmers were estimated to have planted 10% of the nation's corn crop as of Sunday, a Reuters survey of 13 analysts showed ahead of the release of the report.