Illinois has white mold break out in corn
Farmers could see some severe price docks when selling their corn this fall due to damaged crops. White mold has broken out in Illinois and is causing such problems. Diplodia, commonly referred to as white mold, is worst in central Illinois, but has been reported as far as southeastern Iowa, and southern Indiana. Once corn is fully harvested across the corn belt, we can find out if white mold has spread even further.
White mold characteristics
White mold is a mold that starts at the base of the corn ear and can eventually cover the entire ear, according to Dan Davidson of DTN. The mold will dry out the kernels causing them to weigh less, but more importantly, farmers will be docked for the presence of white mold 60 to 80 cents.
How did it arrive?
Spores of white mold thrive in consistent, wet conditions. Illinois experienced one of the consistently wettest summers over the past few years. In Dan Davidson's article on the white mold outbreak from DTN, he explained that molds typically appear in a drought year and after ears have been wounded, but white mold is more common in a wet year and doesn't require wounded ears.
Carl Bradley of the University of Illinois said that Illinois had small, frequent rainfalls, while Iowa had heavy, less frequent rains. Illinois can attribute frequent rains for the white mold outbreak.
Some of the worst fields in Illinois are reporting occurrence of diplodia in upwards of 70%.
Docked pay
Grain buyers are reportedly docking farmers 60 to 80 cents for the presence of white mold. One grain buyer in Illinois is docking 1 cent for each percent of damaged corn as well as each pound under 52 lbs per test plot. The dockage can add up to almost half the going rate for corn.
Future
DTN's article on white mold suggested that farmers evaluate hybrid corn seeds for susceptibility during harvest. Also, rotate the crop to soybeans next year to help give time for corn plants to decay in the fields, although even some fields coming off of soybeans are reporting the mold. Lastly, aggressive tillage can help speed up the decaying process of left over infected corn plants in the field.
Currently, there are no known hybrid seeds that are completely resistant to white mold, but some seeds do offer susceptibility ratings. Disease will occur when extremely wet and humid conditions are consistently present during pollination and the rest of the growing season. Farmers can only control so much when raising crops, Mother Nature takes care of the rest.
- Colvin
White mold characteristics
White mold is a mold that starts at the base of the corn ear and can eventually cover the entire ear, according to Dan Davidson of DTN. The mold will dry out the kernels causing them to weigh less, but more importantly, farmers will be docked for the presence of white mold 60 to 80 cents.
How did it arrive?
Spores of white mold thrive in consistent, wet conditions. Illinois experienced one of the consistently wettest summers over the past few years. In Dan Davidson's article on the white mold outbreak from DTN, he explained that molds typically appear in a drought year and after ears have been wounded, but white mold is more common in a wet year and doesn't require wounded ears.
Carl Bradley of the University of Illinois said that Illinois had small, frequent rainfalls, while Iowa had heavy, less frequent rains. Illinois can attribute frequent rains for the white mold outbreak.
Some of the worst fields in Illinois are reporting occurrence of diplodia in upwards of 70%.
Docked pay
Grain buyers are reportedly docking farmers 60 to 80 cents for the presence of white mold. One grain buyer in Illinois is docking 1 cent for each percent of damaged corn as well as each pound under 52 lbs per test plot. The dockage can add up to almost half the going rate for corn.
Future
DTN's article on white mold suggested that farmers evaluate hybrid corn seeds for susceptibility during harvest. Also, rotate the crop to soybeans next year to help give time for corn plants to decay in the fields, although even some fields coming off of soybeans are reporting the mold. Lastly, aggressive tillage can help speed up the decaying process of left over infected corn plants in the field.
Currently, there are no known hybrid seeds that are completely resistant to white mold, but some seeds do offer susceptibility ratings. Disease will occur when extremely wet and humid conditions are consistently present during pollination and the rest of the growing season. Farmers can only control so much when raising crops, Mother Nature takes care of the rest.
- Colvin
Comments