Last year, Southern Rust made a late appearance in corn fields across Iowa and wreaked havoc on yields. Yesterday, Southern Rust was officially confirmed in a few Iowa counties, which is particularly alarming considering the similar timing to last year’s problems. However, farmers learned many lessons last year that will help in managing the disease this year. Dan Bjorklund, technical agronomist at Landus Cooperative, said he had a good idea a couple weeks ago that Southern Rust was making its return.
Bjorklund said the weather conditions in eastern Iowa made it favorable for Southern Rust to develop and spread.
As we learned last year, Southern Rust is very difficult to get rid of once it takes hold. Bjorklund said preventative fungicide usage is key in preventing Southern Rust from developing in the first place.
For more information, visit landus.ag.
