Anthracnose Leaf Blight
Symptoms:
- Water-soaked, oval lesions usually appear first.
- Lesions enlarge up to 15 mm long and have tan centers with reddish-brown borders.
- Lesions on susceptible plants may join and blight the entire leaf and can cause the entire leaf to die late in the growing season.
- Symptoms develop on lower corn leaves early in the growing season, and develop on the upper corn leaves late in the growing season.
- Resistant corn lines may only have small, necrotic or chlorotic, lesions if infected.
Pathogen Involved:
- Colletotrichum graminicola (a fungus)
- Overwinters on corn debris.
Time of Occurrence:
- Anthracnose is most likely to occur at the seedling phase and at full maturity of corn, but not in the middle of the summer.
Conditions Favoring Disease:
- High temperatures, prolonged wet weather
Disease Management:
- Use resistant hybrids
- Tillage may be beneficial where appropriate
- Crop rotation can reduce early season infection