Des Moines, Iowa, USA
February 15, 2011
Growers in corn-growing regions - especially the Great Plains, Midwest and parts of Canada - may need to manage against the bacterial disease Goss's wilt to avoid yield losses and poor grain quality, say experts at Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business.
Goss's wilt limits yield by reducing green leaf area and causing premature death in corn plants. Early infections lead to the greatest yield reductions - up to 50 percent yield loss when susceptible hybrids are infected early in the growing season. Other agronomic issues such as stalk lodging may result from fields that have died prematurely from Goss's wilt, resulting in further yield loss and lower quality grain.
Reports indicate its presence in areas such as eastern Nebraska, the Dakotas, Manitoba, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. Pioneer experts say growers in other nearby regions should be on alert as it may continue spreading to other corn-growing regions as well.
While the disease can cause substantial yield loss with some more-susceptible hybrids, Pioneer offers a wide genetic range of hybrids with very good to excellent resistance to Goss's wilt and with an expanded maturity range of 75 to 118 days. The disease tends to be more of a problem for cornfields that incurred plant damage, especially in corn-on-corn and minimum or no-till fields. It also typically occurs as the result of hail events and storms by infecting abraded leaves, yet the disease can surface any given year depending on the environment once established in an area.
Growers can use crop rotation and tillage to manage residue (which can play host to the bacteria), but Pioneer experts say it's best to select resistant hybrids to prevent future challenges. No fungicide can rescue an infected stand because Goss's wilt is a bacterial disease.
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