Be on the lookout for Goss’s Wilt! Several area agronomists have indicated seeing Goss’s Wilt showing up in some fields they are overseeing. This is not real surprising as many areas in the Western Corn Belt have experienced weather conditions such as wind, sand blast, hail and other plant injuries that may open the door to let the Goss’s Wilt pathogen enter into the plant. This problem can really be enhanced in fields that received early storm damage, are corn on corn, had a Goss’s Wilt presence before or have a lot of crop residue remaining on the surface – to name a few.
FYI: Attached are a few pictures of Goss’s Wilt infection.
1. Younger corn plant showing leaf damage and signs of stalk infection when the young plant stalks were split open.
2. Stalk cut away showing healthy stalk on left and internal infection of stalks in different amounts.
3. Leaf infection lesions on a more mature corn plant. Generally a syrupy or greasy appearance may also be visible for some time on or around the outer area of the Goss’s Wilt lesion.
4. Looking down the row at corn plants that have Goss’s Wilt lesions.
5. Another look at infected upper leaves on Goss’s infected plants.
Remember that Goss’s Wilt is a bacterial infection so application of a fungicide will have no real affect on the Goss’s Wilt pathogen or the prevention or reduction of it in a corn field. At this time no hybrid from any company is 100% resistant to the Goss’s Wilt pathogen but some varieties show a lot more resistance than others when in the presence of the Goss’s Wilt pathogen. In addition, testing is being done by Universities on some chemical products that claim to reduce Goss’s Wilt infections. Ask your local Hoegemeyer District Sales Manager or Agronomist about hybrids that have good Goss’s Wilt tolerance for your acres.
Photo credits: University of Nebraska & Iowa State University