The last two weeks have shown an increase in samples for stalk rots and ear rots/moldy grain at the Purdue Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory, which is signaling that fields are in the middle of or nearing the end of harvest. Dr. Darcy Telenko has provided two great resources (Stalk Rots Getting You Down? & Ear and Stalk Rots) to help in identifying stalk rot diseases and how to manage them. Determining the type of pathogen is paramount in determining your management options, such as selecting hybrids with resistance to a particular pathogen, determining if/what pesticides will protect your crop, and what cultural practices will help mitigate the damage done (if only for future years). Multiple corn leaf spot or root rot pathogens also infect the stalk and/or ear. Other ear rots can move in due to insect feeding, exposed ear tips subject to the environment, or rain getting underneath[Read More…]