This represented a loss of 20 million metric tons of corn, worth about one billion dollars. Some southern states lost more than 50 percent of their corn crop. When you rub these pustules between your fingers, the spores may leave a dusty orange coat on your fingers, hence the reason it is called a “rust.” Box 350 141 Experiment Station Road., Stoneville, MS, 38776. Learn more. Southern corn leaf blight: A story worth retelling. Characteristic foliar symptoms include oblong, irregular lesions with green/yellow edges. Corn fungicides are applied to inhibit foliar fungal infections such as Gray Leaf Spot, Northern and Southern Leaf Blight, Common and Southern Rust, Anthracnose, and Eyespot. https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2017.01.0006 Claire H. Luby , Jack Kloppenburg , … Unlimited viewing of the article/chapter PDF and any associated supplements and figures. H. Arnold Bruns Southern Corn Leaf Blight: A Story Worth Retelling, Agronomy Journal 109, no.4 4 (Jul 2017): 1218–1224. Log in. The southern corn ( Zea mays L.) leaf blight (SCLB) epidemic of 1970–1971 was one of the most costly disease outbreaks to affect North American agriculture, destroying 15% of the crop at a cost of US$1.0 billion (≥$6.0 billion by 2015 standards.). 109(4):1-7. Upload. de Bary, the disease which led to the Great Irish Famine; Southern corn leaf blight, caused by the fungus Cochliobolus heterostrophus (Drechs Non-irrigated locations containing the MSU official corn hybrid trials (OHT) were evaluated for foliar diseases during the 2020 season. Similarly, reduced additive genetic variance will slow gain from selection to reduce genetic improvement. In the summer of 1970, Southern Corn Leaf Blight, caused by a type of fungus, Bipolaris maydis, wiped out a billion dollars’ worth of corn in the United States. Some southern states lost more than 50 percent of their corn crop. L. A. Tatum The southern corn leaf blight, a dis- ease caused byHelminthosporium may- dis Nisikado & Miyake, has been in the news recently because of its im- pact on corn growers, the commodities market, and other activities dependent on grain. Mention of a trade name, propriety product, or specific equipment does not constitute a guarantee or warranty by the USDA‐ARS and does not imply approval of the named product to exclusion of other similar products. The actual food energy losses were considered to be greater than those caused by the potato late blight epidemic of the 1840's. Possible recurrence of Southern Leaf Blight, mutant fungus which destroyed 700-million bu of corn in '70, is major concern of growers in Corn Belt; … Photo: Dr. Austin Hagan, Alabama Cooperative Extension As corn is really up and going, and as cotton and peanut planting have been taking place recently, storms with wind and rain may have created greater risks for disease in Worth County fields. As it was, the Southern Corn Leaf Blight devastated 15 percent of America's 1970 corn crop, reducing the average national corn yield from 83.9 to 71.7 bushels per acre, costing farmers about $1 billion in losses. This year, farmers might be faced with this disease yet again. Weather conditions in the early 1970s favored development of southern corn leaf blight revealing the unintended susceptibility of maize varieties containing the Texas cytoplasm mitochondrial trait to this disease. The southern corn (Zea maysL.) State Use the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. The result was an estimated 15% crop loss at a cost of approximately US$1 billion dollars (>US$6 billion today). Similar Diseases. Trade names are used in this publication are solely for the purpose of providing specific information. Continue reading the main story. Working off-campus? Southern rust is caused by the obligate fungal pathogen Puccinia polysora. This disease is favored by cool, wet, rainy weather, which has seemed to dominate lately. Maize chlorotic dwarf virus. Normally, northern corn leaf blight is more of an issue in fields that have been planted with corn for more than one year in a row. If you do not receive an email within 10 minutes, your email address may not be registered, A favorable environment, combined with >85% of the hybrids grown being of cms‐T genetics set the stage for an epidemic. Several notable examples are: Late blight of potato, caused by the water mold Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) High plains disease (corn) Holcus spot. It resulted from an over reliance on cytoplasmic Texas male sterile (cms‐T) lines in hybrid seed production and a natural mutation of a race of SCLB Bipolar maydis that for years was seldom of economic importance. Mr. Jennings says that in recent years the Southern corn leaf blight has caused at the most 10 per cent damage to cornfields in this area, but he … The result was an estimated 15% crop loss at a cost of approximately US$1 billion dollars (>US$6 billion today). Trade names are used in this publication are solely for the purpose of providing specific information. Enter your email address below and we will send you your username, If the address matches an existing account you will receive an email with instructions to retrieve your username, © 2020 American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems, Journal of Production Agriculture (1988–1999), I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of Use, https://doi.org/10.2134/agronj2017.01.0006. In 2019, northern corn leaf blight appeared throughout the Southwest New York region. PDF. 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