Indiana farmers are entering a critical stretch of the growing season as corn and soybean crops continue to advance, but crop scouts say now is the time to keep a close eye on disease pressure.
USDA’s latest Crop Progress report shows Indiana’s corn and soybean crop remains in generally good condition as grain fill and pod development continue. However, recent stretches of warm temperatures, high humidity, and scattered rainfall have created favorable conditions for several diseases.
In Soybeans… “We’re looking for Frogeye Leaf spot. I mean, you’ll sure have Septoria brown spot down the lower part of the canopy. That’s nothing really to worry about. Kind of still on the edge of whether red crown rot’s really going to start to pop or not. We’ve seen some initial infections there at the soil line. But you know, if you’re not looking down there you’re probably not seeing it. And so sudden death syndrome, brown stem rot, and now let’s look for red crown rot to see if we have that interveinal chlorosis.” According to Purdue Extension Soybean Specialist Shaun Casteel
And for corn… “I’ve had some pictures sent to me of some crazy top. That’s one that always shows up with flooding. We’ve seen actually quite a bit of bacterial leaf streak, maybe not as much in Indiana, but I know other states Illinois, Iowa. That’s one that actually you can get a little bit confused with gray leaf spot and how it looks. So those bacterial there’s not a lot you can do about them. Those are some that we don’t always see. But we’ve seen a little bit more this year.” That’s according to Purdue Extension Corn Specialist Dan Quinn
Both say regular field scouting and timely fungicide decisions for following seasons remain the best defense to protect yield potential as crops move toward maturity.
