By Blake Jackson
Farmers and agriculture professionals will gather on July 10 at the University of Missouri’s Bradford Research Farm in Columbia for the annual Crop and Pest Management Field Day.
Organized by MU Extension, this event focuses on the latest developments in crop health and disease management.
One of the key speakers is plant pathologist Mandy Bish. She will lead sessions on two major diseases affecting Missouri farms: tar spot in corn and red crown rot in soybeans.
Tar spot, first detected in northern Missouri in 2019, has spread to 63 counties. This fungal disease originally appeared in Illinois and Indiana about ten years ago and has since expanded across the Midwest. Bish notes that although tar spot is now a regular presence, it does not always lead to serious yield loss.
“Confirmation does not mean the disease is severe enough to warrant fungicide applications,” Bish said. She will offer guidance on recognizing symptoms, deciding when treatment is necessary, and evaluating the return on investment for fungicide applications.
Bish will also introduce growers to red crown rot, a disease that was just confirmed in Missouri soybeans in 2024. This fungal disease thrives in warm, wet weather and can lead to yield losses of up to 70% in extreme cases. It survives through winter in crop residue, making proper field management essential.
To identify red crown rot, Bish recommends farmers dig up affected soybean plants and split the stems to distinguish it from similar diseases. She calls this the “roots up and stems split” method.
Registration details for the event will be announced soon at https://extension.missouri.edu/events. Bish and MU Extension weed scientist Kevin Bradley encourage growers to mark July 10 on their calendars to attend this important event.
Photo Credit: university-of-missouri
Categories: Missouri, Crops, Corn, Soybeans