Growing Georgia reported on Thursday that southern corn rust has returned to Georgia early this year. Usually the rust does not appear in Georgia until late June or even July, but this year it was first spotted on June 5. UGA Extension scientist Bob Kemerait noted that this is the earliest he has seen the rust appear in corn fields since he has been keeping track. He was also surprised at how quickly the rust spread across the entire coastal plain. The rust pathogen gets reintroduced to Georgia each year because it cannot survive freezing temperatures. To read the article, click here.
Early return of southern corn rust may have been caused by wet spring
