Spotted! There has been an official confirmation of corn tar spot in central Iowa.
Iowa State Plant Pathologists say the disease was detected on June 29th in Marshall County. Two more reports have come in from fields in the Eastern part of the state. Experts say this is several weeks earlier than in normal years. They say it is due to the cold, wet start to the planting season.
Corn producers: be sure to regularly scout your crop and look for small, black circular or irregular-shaped spots that cannot be scratched off the leaf.
Related:
Agronomist: Farmers should have a strategy in place to protect against tar spot
Maximizing Yield Potential: How to battle early corn disease threats during #Plant22
A closer look at how corn tar spots are affecting MI’s fields
