Growing corn is a beneficial career option and can be very useful for farmers who want to break into a bigger market. However, even the best seed corn in Hastings, Iowa, can suffer from diseases that compromise their health. Therefore, it is crucial to understand these conditions and what you can do to prevent them. By thoroughly knowing what these conditions trigger and the ways to treat them, it is easier to provide farmers with more energetic and healthier seeds that will resist wear and tear for years to come.

Rhizoctonia – a Common Seed Disease

Seed corn itself isn’t as prone to infection as other areas of the corn, such as the stalks and the leaves. However, that doesn’t mean that it can’t suffer from some types of health problems. For example, it isn’t uncommon for many seeds to experience rot and a lower emergence rate. Typically, these diseases include various types of molds and fungi that focus on the surface of seeds and spread down into their core to trigger a myriad of health concerns.

For example, Rhizoctonia is known to attack many corn seeds and will cause a myriad of health problems that can make them struggle to grow properly. For instance, it will decay the exterior of the seed and cause discoloration that can be very problematic. Often, you see this disease at the roots and the stems of the corn – most of the time, it starts here and then moves to the interior of the corn seeds to cause health issues that can be hard to reverse.

This fact is something that must be emphasized – most diseases that affect corn seeds start elsewhere on the plant and then move to the seed. Therefore, it is also vital to understand leaf and stem issues with corn. These diseases will slowly rot and destroy your corn and your seeds, making it very difficult to get healthy stalks. Thankfully, it is possible to get a treatment that manages many of these issues powerfully and effectively.

Corn Leaf Problems

The leaves of your corn are going to be a target of many types of common fungi and bacteria. Often, you’ll notice symptoms of these diseases on the leaf, first, because they are most likely to rot due to their pressure. And this problem is particularly concerning for your seeds because the leaves usually cover them and protect them. Therefore, it is essential to know about the many types of diseases that may appear in your corn leaves from time to time.

The most common problem that you’re likely to experience here is gray leaf spot. This disease occurs when a fungus gets on your leaves and spreads throughout their surface. The toughest thing about this disease is that the fungus that causes it is strong enough to last throughout the winter. As a result, you may get it on your corn very early in the growing season, which can cause irreparable damage that may threaten the integrity of your whole crop.

And when this disease fully blooms, the wind will take up spores and cause it to spread to other corn in your area. And if you keep seed corn from last year’s crop in a storage bin, this fungus may end up on them and spread rampantly. Therefore, it is critical to pay attention to gray spots on your corn leaves and to call a professional when they appear. There’s a good chance that they can at least stop the spread of these diseases a little bit.

Northern corn leaf blight is another common fungus problem that could spread to your corn seeds. Typically, this disease also survives the winter by hiding in the soil and spreading up onto your corn stalks and then the speeds. You’ll probably see this disease more later in your growing season, though, as it usually starts to grow more heavily as the temperatures drop and become more severe. Seed corn can easily fall victim to this disease if you aren’t careful with your corn treatments.

Lastly, common rust is a prevalent issue to anybody who has grown corn in the past. Concentrated mostly on leaves, it can spreads to seeds and stalks as well. You usually see it more on sweet corn, though you can get it on regular corn as well. Make sure to watch for small and dark-red pustules on your corn to get an idea of whether this fungus is threatening your seeds.

Diseases That Affect the Stalk

Lastly, corn stalk diseases can quickly spread to your seed corn and cause many health issues. For example, stalk rot conditions start at the root of the corn and move up to the rest of the stalk very quickly. And as they move, they’ll destroy stalk tissue, decreasing the amount of food and water that corn can ingest. This issue will cause your stalks to degrade further, potentially opening up your seeds for an invasion that may make them less healthy.

The most common of these diseases s perhaps Anthracnose. This condition is known for attacking most species of corn and causing problems that often appear very early in the growing season. As a result, this issue often spreads in a way that can be unpredictable and hard to manage. You may notice small signs of it at the bottom of your stalk one day and then see it spread almost all the way up to your leaves and seeds the next. This fast speed makes it very dangerous to corn.

Typically, this disease – and others, such as Fusarium stalk rot, Dplodia stalk rot, bacterial stalk rot, and others – will cause black streaks and blotches throughout the stalk. However, it is also possible to see brown spots throughout stalks, as well, though you may also see red, yellow, and other types of colors. It all depends on the type of disease that affects your corn. Don’t hesitate to check your stocks of seeds if your stalks develop these diseases, as they may spread in the wind to your seeds.

Managing This Issue

As you can see, the best seed corn Hastings, Iowa has to offer can be easily threatened by many diseases. As a result, you need to find experts who fully understand how to protect you and who provide healthy seeds at a reasonable price. At Online Seed Sales, we have years of experience working with farmers like you. And we know how to protect seeds in a way that keeps them healthy, whether you have corn, potatoes, or any other common crop.