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Corn tar spot gaining foothold in Minnesota

Tar spot continues to gain more of a foothold in the Corn Belt.

University of Minnesota Extension corn agronomist Jeff Coulter says the foliar disease made inroads in southeast Minnesota this summer.

“That’s been a disease that’s kind of been on the uptick, so we’ll want to keep an eye out on that for the next growing season for certain.”

Minnesota Extension crops educator Liz Stahl suggests corn tar spot seems to be a step ahead of management tactics.

“To have the right answers to that we need to have research-based answers to help us address these production challenges.”

Stahl made these comments during the KNUJ Women in Ag Forum earlier this month.

Minnesota Extension plant pathologist Dean Malvick says fungicides can reduce the impact of tar spot depending on timing and rate, and corn hybrids also vary in susceptibility.