The Kansas State University Research and Extension has published its crop disease summary for 2019, and the data suggests that several diseases impacted corn, soybean, and sorghum growers throughout the season.
In terms of corn diseases, there was an unusually high amount of Physoderma brown spot in eastern Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa. Research is still being conducted to determine the effectiveness of fungicides as a form of treatment for the disease.
Diplodia ear rot was also present in many corn crops in 2019, but there were lower levels of it than over the past three years. Bacterial leaf streak was identified in several new counties, but its impact on yield is still being researched.
For soybean growers, soybean cyst nematode continued to expand in 2019, and Sudden Death Syndrome remained a problem in river bottom areas. That being said, there seemed to be little impact from frogeye leaf spot in 2019.
Finally, sooty stripe was present in sorghum in 2019, but it came on later in the season and appeared to have little effect on yield. Sorghum rust was discovered near the end of the season as well, but as the researchers note, its late arrival often gives it less opportunity to impact crops. Rough spot, target spot, and northern corn leaf blight were all also discovered throughout 2019.
For more information on crop diseases and growing conditions, visit the K-State Research and Extension website for insight throughout the year.