Illinois Corn Hit With Fungal Disease, Will There be Summer Corn?

Who had "Lack of sweet corn in 2023" on your WTH IS IT NOW bingo card? Yikes this could seriously suck!

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to Phyllachora Maydis a not so nice fungal disease that could impact corn growth in Illinois this summer. WeAreGreenBay

Also referred to as "tar spot" this is something that happened in 2015, in Illinois and Indiana. It also reared it's ugly head in Kansas, Missouri and South Dakota in 2021.

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So What is This?

“It’s a very aggressive disease compared to some of the other diseases we deal with like southern rust, or gray leaf spot, or northern corn leaf flight. It moves very, very quickly. I’ve seen pictures from the Midwest where the infection begins, and seven days later that field is completely shut down,” - Southwest Missouri agronomist Brian Bunt

From 2018 to 2021, farmers lost around $3 Billion do to this nasty fungus. The good news, is that it is still early in the season so spotting it now and taking care of it now could be a good thing.

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“It’s definitely a challenge for the growers that are facing it. It’s probably one of the most aggressive diseases that farmers have ever seen. But we’re already doing a good job as an industry, when it comes to finding things we can do both culturally and chemically, to help mitigate this disease.” - Southwest Missouri agronomist Brian Bunt

This disease prefers the cooler temps, and to the humidity to kick in and spread across the crop.

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There is a website that farmers can go to, to report this if it is spotted Corn.IMPpipe.org

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Source: Illinois Corn Crop in Jeopardy This Summer, a Fungal Disease is Spreading