It has come on like a tidal wave, washing across the Corn Belt from Minnesota to the Texas panhandle, a disease that few farmers had seen until five years ago.
Known as Goss’s wilt, it has cut some farmers’ corn yields in half, and it is still spreading. This summer it reached Louisiana, farther south than it had ever been identified. Alison Robertson, a plant pathologist at Iowa State University, estimated that about 10 percent of this year’s corn crop would fall to Goss’s.
The disease, named for R. W. Goss, a longtime Nebraska plant pathologist, is caused by a bacterium with the formidable name Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. nebraskensis. When a plant is damaged by hail or other heavy weather, the microbe enters the wound and infects its vascular system, scarring the leaves with brownish-yellow lesions sprinkled with black freckles.
The infection may or may not kill the plant, depending on when it comes, but it almost always curtails yields. And for farmers who have never seen the infection before, it is deeply disconcerting.
“The farmer who called me had found a circle of corn about 50 feet in diameter or so that had strange symptoms, stalks broken over and twisting, discoloration, the whole nine yards,” said Clayton Hollier, a plant pathologist at Louisiana State University. “I hadn’t heard symptoms like that since I learned about Goss’s in college.”
Until 2008, Goss’s wilt had been confined to western Nebraska and a handful of counties in eastern Colorado. But that year it was found in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.
In 2011, a particularly virulent year, farms in much of Illinois lost as many as 60 bushels of corn per acre to the disease (the usual yield is 200 bushels per acre). So did many counties in Indiana.
While there are no official tallies, the last two years do not appear to have been as bad — thanks in part to dry, hot weather, which tends to keep the disease at bay. But its continuing spread is worrying farmers and plant pathologists throughout the Corn Belt.
No one is certain why Goss’s wilt has become so rampant in recent years. But many plant pathologists suspect that the biggest factor is the hybrids chosen for genetic modification by major seed companies like Monsanto, DuPont and Syngenta.
The Latest Bing News on:
Goss’s wilt
- NDSU plant pathologists caution growers to stay on top of diseaseson July 29, 2022 at 4:00 am
Andrew Friskop, North Dakota State University Extension plant pathologist, recently discussed disease pressure in the state for both wheat and corn, as well as what producers should be keeping an ...
- PloS oneon July 27, 2022 at 5:00 pm
Are one's attachment avoidance toward a particular person and his/her placement of this particular person in the attachment hierarchy inversely overlapping? Four bifactor-analysis studies.
- Sundowns' hired guns kickstart SuperSport's recruitment drive into overdriveon July 27, 2022 at 8:10 am
Hlatshwayo also played for Bidvest Wits while Hunt was at the helm. The trio includes goalkeeper Ricardo Goss, midfielder/striker Grant Margeman and striker Thabang Sibanyoni. The players are on a ...
- President's and Dean's List Fall 2021on July 25, 2022 at 5:00 pm
In recognition of its commitment to support military-affiliated learners, Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) has been named a top 10 Military Friendly® School for 2022. The University earned the ...
- Research farms evaluate growing season, look ahead to 2011on July 22, 2022 at 4:37 am
Corn was 14.5 percent moisture and 58-pound test weight. Rusk said that he saw more Goss's Wilt on corn this year. Because it's a bacterial disease, fungicide use does nothing for it. Goss's Wilt ...
- Stay on top of diseases: Ways to stop sudden death syndrome, other pathogenson July 22, 2022 at 4:37 am
Malvick said fields there were found to have a high incidence of Goss’s wilt, as plant injury is one of the main risk factors of the disease. So is moisture, warm temperatures, history of the ...
- Corn diseases to watch for this summeron July 21, 2022 at 6:59 am
Dry weather conditions early this cropping season have likely kept most corn and soybean disease pressure to a minimum. But don’t let your guard down as we enter the last ...
- Rhonda Brookson July 21, 2022 at 3:46 am
Trying to control adult CRW beetles can be a losing proposition. But this year, given the amount of population pressure in some fields there is better potential for a return-on-investment ...
- Sarah Sivits: Japanese beetles can damage cropson July 10, 2022 at 12:45 am
Common diseases include Bacterial Leaf Streak, Goss’s Wilt and Leaf Blight, Holcus Spo, and Bacterial Stalk Rots in corn. Scouts might also find Common Smut — a fungal disease — that can ...
- More about the hymnson June 8, 2019 at 8:55 am
It is set to music by sometime organist of St Paul’s Cathedral, Sir John Goss. It is used regularly on National and State occasions. This hymn was written in 1865 by Cardinal John Henry Newman ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Goss’s wilt
The Latest Bing News on:
Plant diseases
- New molecule developed at Hebrew U. may prevent age-related diseases and increase life expectancy and wellnesson August 1, 2022 at 4:01 pm
Hebrew University has identified a group of molecules that enable cells to repair damaged components, making it possible for those tissues to retain proper function.
- Color my plate- plant-basedon August 1, 2022 at 2:00 pm
Shift to plant-based milks and healthier versions of foods you often buy for the family like soy, oat, almond, cashew or rice milk; whole wheat or multi-grain breads and crackers; whole wheat, bean or ...
- Micropropagation Market to Reach $3 Billion by 2027. Homegrown Produce and Plant Tissue Culture Increasing the Development of the Market - Ariztonon August 1, 2022 at 1:15 pm
Europe & APAC are the key regions dominating the Micropropagation market. Orchids & Ornamentals plant micropropagation market to grow at a CAGR of more than 11%.Chicago, Aug. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) ...
- Artificial intelligence could soon help watermelon farmers detect harmful diseases in their cropson August 1, 2022 at 1:03 pm
Watermelon farmers are struggling to control disease in their crop and are constantly on the hunt for ways to fight it.
- Plant-based Tuna Market Top Companies Statistics Analysis, Trends, Challenges, and Opportunities- Forecast To 2030on August 1, 2022 at 11:54 am
The global plant-based tuna market is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 17.9% between 2020 and 2030, finds Future Market Insights (FMI) in a new study. The awareness regarding health and wellness is ...
- Plant-Based Burger Market – Global Industry Overview by Size, Share, Future Scope, Development up to 2030on August 1, 2022 at 11:54 am
Plant-based burger market is witnessing a spike in demand, which is expected to continue post pandemic according to a recent report published by Future Market Insights (FMI). Although the pandemic has ...
- Strawberry Genes Fight Deadly Disease and Next Gen Fuels Acton August 1, 2022 at 7:33 am
University of California, Davis researchers have discovered genes in strawberries that may help ward off a deadly soilborne disease.
- Molecule may prevent age-related diseases and increase life expectancy and wellnesson August 1, 2022 at 7:02 am
While breakthroughs in the world of medicine and technology account for the global increase in life expectancy, improvements in quality of life for the elderly population lag far behind. Longevity ...
- This doctor reversed heart disease. Now he wants to do it for Alzheimer'son August 1, 2022 at 5:30 am
The original study on heart disease was small -- 28 people were in the experimental ... size and said there was no way people could remain on the program's stringent plant-based diet without ...
- These Foods Can Help Reduce The Risk of This Undetected Chronic Diseaseon August 1, 2022 at 3:00 am
Often symptoms of chronic kidney disease go undetected, but eating these foods can help prevent it from ever forming in your body.