Disease photos from my field (2020).

To give some insight into why disease resistance is such an important trait for me, here are photos showing how various corns handle Southern Rust (Puccinia polysora) infestations. Bear in mind that almost all temperate varieties are moderately to highly susceptible to the pathogen.

Zapalote Chico, ~4 weeks after first infection. Note how little leaf tissue has been affected. Not even the bottom 3 leaves are dead yet.
Nalo Orange, ~4 weeks after initial infection. The ear is about a week away from black layer, and yet only the bottom leaves have significant pustule development.
Painted Mountain, ~4 weeks after first infection. Come 5 days later, the plants were dead and rotting while they yet stood.
Southern Rust pustules up close.
Corn Belt Dent x Corn Belt Dent hybrid (left) vs. Corn Belt Dent x Tropical hybrid (right). This section had more of a problem with Northern Leaf Blight than Southern Rust, but one can still see how differently certain corns behave in my field when they’re 3 feet away from each other. Tropical corns usually take the diseases better.

Published by tncornboy

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