Earlier this week I was out in corn fields "helping" my lab crew collect disease data. The corn was not looking great but hopefully it has perked up with the past few days of sun and warmth. I know I have!
Typically anthracnose is a disease associated with corn as a leaf blight or stalk rot, or top-tie back, but there is also a soybean disease called Anthracnose Stem Blight.
Many cornfields in Iowa have turned brown very quickly over the past couple of weeks. Fingers are being pointed at anthracnose stalk rot. Be careful though, it could be environmental stress.
By Alison Robertson, Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology
Within the past week several foliar diseases have been reported in Iowa.
Anthracnose is a fungal disease that sometimes occurs in late summer in Iowa. Typically this disease does not cause severe symptoms or yield loss. Development of anthracnose is favored during periods of moderate temperatures and high humidity or wet weather.
Over the past week, I have had calls and e-mails regarding anthracnose top dieback in corn. First, a word of caution: Not all top dieback is caused by the anthracnose pathogen. Death of top leaves may be due to one or more of several factors that include hybrid characteristics, environmental stress, and corn borer damage.
