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Lexington, KY 40546

Online at: www.uky.edu/KPN


Number 1256 January 25, 2011
CORN
-Fungicide Resistance: Will It Happen in Corn
Diseases?
-Corn Earworm Management in Field Corn

strobilurin fungicides in Cercospora


CORN sojina, the cause of frogeye leaf spot in
soybean. He found resistant isolates in
Fungicide Resistance: Will It Happen in Corn several states, including Kentucky. The
Diseases? other family of fungicides used
By Paul Vincelli and Don Hershman commonly on corn is the DMI
fungicides (also called “triazoles”). For
The simple answer: Almost certainly, it will decades, scientists have watched as
happen. No one knows where or when it will fungi all over the world become
happen, or how damaging it will be. However, incrementally more and more resistant
the elements are in place for it to happen sooner to these fungicides. We’ve seen cases
or later. Some relevant facts: of DMI resistance in Kentucky, also.
2. Fungicide use on the farm selects for
1. The best fungicides are also prone to resistance. Every time a producer
resistance. The best fungicides against sprays a strobilurin fungicide or a DMI
gray leaf spot and northern leaf blight fungicide, this puts selection pressure
are the strobilurin fungicides (also towards resistance. Every time. I’m not
called “QoI fungicides”). This family of saying a catastrophe is looming. What I
fungicides includes Headline®, am saying is that every application of a
Quadris®, and Evito®, as well as strobilurin or a DMI moves the producer
premixes that contain a strobilurin, such closer to the day when the resistant
as Quilt®, Stratego®, Avaris®, and fungus is widespread and damaging in
Headline® AMP. Unfortunately, that field. It may happen this season; it
strobilurin fungicides are known may happen in 20 years. But every
throughout the world as being prone to application moves that day closer and
resistance development, and year after closer. In the opinion of most university
year, we see new cases of strobilurin pathologists, this is true even for the
resistance in the U.S. and around the “plant health” applications. Even if
world. The first case of resistance to disease levels are below threshold, some
strobilurin fungicides in Kentucky disease activity is usually present in a
occurred eleven years ago, when a very field, so a fungicide application imposes
destructive outbreak of a turfgrass selection pressure towards resistance
disease caused severe damage to a even though the disease is present at
“high-end” golf course in Lexington. levels too low to cause yield loss.
Last year, Dr. Carl Bradley (University 3. The gray leaf spot fungus is closely
of Illinois) documented resistance to related to other fungicide-resistant
fungi. Gray leaf spot is caused by Corn Earworm Management in Field Corn
Cercospora zeae-maydis. Cercospora By Ric Bessin
fungi have a well-known history of
developing resistance (sometimes very Corn earworm is a pest of many agronomic and
quickly) to a variety of fungicides on horticultural crops and because of this is has
numerous crops. The latest Kentucky many common names soybean podworm,
example was mentioned above: tomato fruitworm, and cotton bollworm. Many
resistance to strobilurin fungicides in growers and consumers are familiar with this
Cercospora sojina, the cause of frogeye insect in sweet corn as it attacks the kernels at
leaf spot in soybean. Not only do the tip of the ear. It does the same damage in
Cercospora fungi seem to adapt to field corn, with damage restricted to kernels at
fungicides, but they are also wind- the ear tip. Damage by this insect has been
dispersed. So if your neighbor’s field sporadic with early and mid season corn
develops resistance, those spores will escaping some or all of the damage and late
easily make it to your field and beyond. planted field corn sustaining substantial damage.
4. Southern corn rust is a Traditionally, corn growers have not had
“promiscuous” disease. Because of the practical and cost effective tools to manage this
destructive nature of this disease, insect and have accepted their losses in the past,
producers deep in the South both in terms of yield and reductions in quality.
understandably often use strobilurin
and/or DMI fungicides. But that fungus
doesn’t stay there: it blows northward
on weather systems, so our inoculum in
Kentucky has its origin in farms deep in
the South, where it overwinters. So any
fungicide resistance that develops in
regions with heavy fungicide use may
spread quickly to our part of the
country.

So the risk for fungicide resistance in important


corn diseases is quite real.
Figure 1. Corn earworm damaging kernels in ear tip.
What can producers do about this? Some may
Corn earworm can negatively impact field corn
not like this answer, but it is pretty simple: Use
in several ways. By feeding on kernels at the tip
fungicides sparingly. Use them when they are
of the ear, it directly can reduce grain yields.
likely to improve yield, stalk quality, and bottom
Early –planted corn escapes this damage, but
line. Particularly important is to make
ears of late-planted corn can have 20 or more
applications based on disease risk, not on the
damaged kernels. While kernels at the tip of the
vague possibility of “plant health” benefits.
ear are generally less valuable, this feeding may
Also, use hybrid selection and rotation to reduce
reduce harvested grain by 2 to 8 bushels. In
disease pressure.
addition to reducing yield, earworm can also
affect grain quality. Heavily damaged kernels
There is no way to prevent resistance to
are lost during harvest, but partially eaten
strobilurins and DMIs, short of never using these
kernels may end up in the grain. Damage to the
fungicides. One can only hope to slow down the
ear and grain itself provides entry points for
development of resistance. And the best way to
fungi and may increase rots. In fact, corn
do that is to minimize the use of the at-risk
earworm damage is one of several factors that
fungicides. There really is no other option.
can contribute to aflotoxin contamination in
corn.
Corn earworm is attracted to corn while the corn Some of the newer Bt technologies on the
is silking. Fresh ear silks produce volatile market can provide higher levels of corn
chemicals that attack egg-laying female moths. earworm control than earlier Bt technologies.
So while the silks are fresh, egg laying can occur SmartStax, Optimum Intrasect, YieldGard Vt2
if moths are active. To control for earworm with Pro, and Agrisure Viptera hybrids have
insecticides, sprays need to be applied during the improved control of secondary insect pests of
silking period and coverage needed in the center corn, including corn earworm. This can be a
third of the plant. As silks continue to emerge valuable tool for Kentucky corn growers
from the ear, insecticides may need to be particularly when they find themselves in late-
reapplied to ensure protection. For corn growers planting or replanting situations.
this has been both impractical and rarely
economical to treat field corn for earworms.
While sweetcorn producers can get ground
equipment over the shorter sweet corn that is
planted on smaller acreages, field corn usually
requires aerial application during silking.

While corn earworm can overwinter in


Kentucky soils, colder winters reduce winter
survival. Early in the spring, moth activity is
usually the result of earworm moths emerging
locally. These local moth flights often occur
during silk emergence with corn planted prior to
mid May but pose little economic threat in most
years. However as the year progresses, much
larger corn earworm moth flights arriving from
the south are more likely. Wind currents
generated in advance of low-pressure systems
moving across the plains and Midwest can move
large populations of earworm and other pests
northward. Late planted corn, read that as
planted in mid May or later in Kentucky, silks
later in the summer and is more likely to be
attacked by these large moth populations. It is
not uncommon to see the tip of each ear with 20
or more earworm-damaged kernels with late-
planted corn.

Note: Trade names are used to simplify the


information presented in this newsletter. No
endorsement by the Cooperative Extension Service is
intended, nor is criticism implied of similar products
Figure 2. Adult corn earworm moth. that are not named.

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