Dr. Bob K:
“Dr. Ian Small and Ethan Carter have reported southern corn rust from Calhoun County, FLORIDA.
Southern Corn rust is nearly right on time…..we typically find it by the first week in June. Conditions for the next week will be perfect for spread- warm, humid, storms. I DO NOT believe in spraying fungicides for “recreational purposes” only. Spraying for the sake of spraying without due cause is a waste of time and of money. However, I DO have tremendous respect for southern corn rust and the damage it can cause if the crop is not protected. Therefore, corn growers in extreme SW Georgia (Seminole, Decatur, Early. Miller, Grady) are encouraged to apply a fungicide (mixed mode of action) to protect their corn crop. Can I guarantee that this will result in more profit? I can’t guarantee much of anything, but I can say that based upon my experience and our data, it is a good investment.
Question: “Bob, are you SURE that southern rust is not in Georgia?” No, I am not, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it is. But we haven’t found it yet.
Question: “Bob, where is southern corn rust (and soybean rust) most likely?” Both are most likely in SW Georgia, but could be anywhere in the deep south of the state.
For more info on disease (including pictures of pathogen) please see last year’s post about 2022’s first GA siting of SCR: https://site.extension.uga.edu/crispcoag/2022/06/southern-rust-found-in-ga-corn/