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Variable weather making corn susceptible to foliar diseases

An agronomist in the Upper Midwest has concerns about corn being susceptible to foliar diseases.

Jon Erickson covers Minnesota and Wisconsin for Mycogen Seeds.  He says variable weather across the region is stressing crops.

“It seems like this year could be a year that the benefits of a fungicide application could be seen very easily.”

While much of Minnesota is too wet, Erickson says soils in Wisconsin could use more moisture.

He tells Brownfield morning dew, which has been common this summer, also supports northern corn leaf blight and gray leaf spot.

“And those are probably the two main fungal leaf diseases that we’re concerned about on corn in my part of the geography.”

Erickson says farmers should look for lesions on the corn plant around the ear leaf.  Any browning or spotting could indicate the presence of a foliar disease.