Corn Tar Spot Poised To Re-Emerge In Northeast Missouri
July 13, 2021 9:55AM CDT
In this photo courtesy of University of Missouri Extension, corn tar spot covers a leaf with both green tissue and brown senescing tissue. Multiple diseases can occur with tar spot. These black raised dots are the stroma of the tar spot pathogen, which overwinters on residues at the soil surface.
The recent discovery of the season’s first cases of corn tar spot in Southeast Iowa has University of Missouri Extension specialists on the look-out. Plant pathologist Doctor Kaitlyn Bissonnette says farmers in Northeast Missouri should begin scouting their crop for signs of the pest.
Tar spot first appeared in the state in 2019 in Clark, Lewis, and Scotland counties, and then in Marion County last year. Bissonnette says yield loss has been reported in states where corn tar is more prevalent.
University of Missouri Extension Plant Pathologist Kaitlyn Bissonnette advises farmers who encounter corn tar spot to contact their local Extension office and send a plant sample to the MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic.
