News

New bacterial disease could reduce corn yield

A professor of plant pathology has concerns a new bacterial disease in corn could reduce yield.

 

Bacterial Leaf Streak was first confirmed in the U.S. about a year ago. Professor Dean Malvick says the disease has appeared in multiple states across the Midwest as well as two counties in Minnesota.

“Now this year we’re hearing of and finding it in a number of different places.  It’s nothing that is causing yield loss, it’s more of an interesting curiosity at this point.  But I think it’s something we need to watch for.”

He tells Brownfield while Bacterial Leaf Streak does not seem to negatively affect yield in Minnesota, states to the southwest like Nebraska–where the disease was originally identified—might be seeing yield losses this year.

Malvick says growers have misidentified the disease as gray leaf spot, treating it with a fungicide.

“The fungicide did not control it of course, because bacterial diseases are not controlled by fungicides.  So it was a big enough concern (that) they were spraying fungicides, and there’s some concern that it could cause yield loss in certain environments.  But again, it’s so new and we have almost no research or very little information on it.”

He says there’s no clear management plan at this point for Bacterial Leaf Streak, but corn hybrid resistance studies are being conducted by the University of Minnesota.

Brownfield interviewed Malvick during the University of Minnesota Extension Ag Pro Field School in St. Paul Friday.