The Crop Protection Network (CPN), a collective of multiple land grant universities across the region, published two new resources for Iowa farmers detailing tar spot in corn, caused by Phyllachora maydis, and soybean seed quality for 2019.
The first resource is a field guide that discusses tar spot, complete with information and pictures covering symptoms, the disease cycle, conditions that favor the disease, yield losses and impact, diagnosis, diseases commonly confused with tar spot and how to manage the disease itself.
Since tar spot has been especially affecting corn in Iowa’s eastern region this past growing season, this field guide can be applied to help distinguish the disease and manage it. This tool may be helpful to growers and crop scouts located in surrounding counties to help identify the pathogen if it spreads.
Additionally, the CPN has published an article on strategies to minimize the impact of low-quality soybean seed. Due to the heavy rainfall that Iowa farmers saw last fall during harvest time, this is a great resource for addressing soybean seeds in Iowa for 2019.
These two resources are posted on CPN’s website www.cropprotectionnetwork.org and can be accessed through the online library and blog.