v • cv . .m»m. Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 2,1981—A17
Mild winter means more Stewart s wilt
proceeding winter’s weather.” * kill, thus reducing the damage
Primary transmitters of potential for the following season.
Stewart’s wilt are black, pinhead- “On the other hand, a mild
sized com flea beetles, which winter, like the one experienced
carry the bacteria within their this year is much of the country,
bodies during winter. When they would result in a higher over
come out of hibernation in spring wintering flea beetle population,”
the insects begin feeding on com he adds.
plants as well as other com Chemical control of the insect is
relatives, opening wounds through not a sure-fire method of com
which the disease passes. bating the disease. Turner says.
Turner says a cold winter, or one because flea beetles travel and can
with a lot of alternate freezing and spread into the field from nearby
thawing, results m higher insect weeds and other infested fields
BLOOMINGTON, 111. - An
unusually mild winter in some
regions may promote a greater
incidence of Stewart’s wilt in 1981
com fields, especially in areas hit
' by the disease in 1980, says
Michael Turner, Funk Seeds In
ternational manager of en
tomology and plant pathology.
“If the com disease shows up
early and at a high enough rate, it
can cause significant damage,” he
says. “One clue to the possible
seventy of an outbreak is the
“Cultural practices which might
help reduce infection include
rotating com with another crop,
such as soybeans, and plowing
down disease-infested debris,”
Turner suggests. (
“The best control of Stewart’s
wilt comes from using tolerant
hybrids, however,” he says,
“that’s been the recommended
control method for the last 30
years.”
Also called bacterial wilt,
Stewart’s wilt is a vascular disease
which plugs up water-carrying
channels of the corn plant. The
whole plant may wilt and die, even
with plenty of water in the soil.
Characteristic symptoms ap
pear as long, pale green streaks
with irregular margins. They
develop along the leaf veins
throughout the growing season. If
infection is severe, streaks join
together and entire leaves dry up
and die. Light, poorly filled ears
may result, lowering yield.
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