Tar spot is a fungal disease that has been recently confirmed in Missouri. The disease can cause significant yield losses, so it is important to scout for it and take steps to manage it.
Tar spot is most common in late summer and early fall, but they can show up earlier in the season. The best time to apply fungicide is from the VT/R1 growth stage through R3. If tar spot is found in the R4 growth stage, a fungicide application may still be beneficial.
If you find tar spot in your cornfields, please submit a sample to the MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic for confirmation. You can also report the disease to the IPMPipe website website. This information will help us to track the spread of the disease and make recommendations for management.
When selecting corn hybrids for 2024, be sure to discuss tar spot tolerance with your seed dealer. There are a number of hybrids that are resistant to tar spot.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-luc-pouliot
Categories: Missouri, Crops, Corn