Corn: Gibberella,Fusarium and Diplodia Stalk Rot

Excerpt from Agronomy Guide for Field Crops (Chapter 3)

Order OMAFRA Publication 811: Agronomy Guide for Field Crops

Table of Contents

1. Appearance
2. Disease Cycle
3. Updates on Corn: Gibberella, Fusarium and Diplodia Stalk Rot
4. Related links...

Appearance

These fungi all cause general stalk rot symptoms, include wilting and death. Affected leaves turn a grey-green colour, which resembles frost damage. All three rots cause a dark external lesion or spots at the lower nodes. Diplodia stalk rot produces small black spots (pycnidia) that are embedded in the stalk rind. These spots are hard to remove. This is in contrast to Gibberella stalk rot, which also produces small, round, black spots at the lower node, except these spots can be easily scraped from the stalk surface.

Plate 33. Gibberella stalk rot. Inside of stalk shredded and characteristically red.

The pith is shredded and has a pink to red colour. Fusarium stalk rot symptoms appear as light brown-to-black lesions near the nodes. The internal stalk symptom of Fusarium stalk rot is a salmon-pink fungal growth in the pith.

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Disease Cycle

See the section Ear Rots or Moulds, for each stalk rot disease:

• Gibberella Ear Rot
• Fusarium Ear Rot
• Diplodia Ear Rot

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Updates on Corn: Gibberella, Fusarium and Diplodia Stalk Rot

No updates available at this time.

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Related links...

• Diseases
• Corn
• Field Crop Protection Guide - Publication 812

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