From Mike Hunter, Field Crops Specialist – CCE of Jefferson County
Two local seed industry representatives have found head smut of corn in two corn fields in Jefferson County, New York. This is a very uncommon disease of corn and the last reported cases were in the 80’s. We are still unsure why it has shown up in NNY and are continuing to look into this situation. More information will be distributed when new information is available. This photo is from one of the samples found in our area.
The following is a detailed description of this disease from the University of Illinois, IPM program:
“Head smut is not evident until the tassels and ears appear. It is characterized by the presence of sori on the the tassels, ears, or rarely, the leaves. A sorus (plural sori) is a compact mass of dark brown to black spores (teliospores) covered with a thin grayish white membrane which soon ruptures to release a powdery mass of spores which are quickly scattered by air currents and rain. A tangled mass of threadlike strands, vestiges of the vascular system of the corn inflorescence, ramify through the sori and are characteristic of infection by the fungus. The presence of the vascular strands, surrounded by the mass of black-brown spores, distinguishes head smut from common smut. Infected tassels are completely or partially covered by a sorus and normally do not produce pollen. The individual florets are replaced entirely by teliospores without the formation of a gall that is characteristic of common smut.”
If you find any head smut in corn please collect samples and contact your local Cornell Cooperative Extension office. In Jefferson and Lewis Counties please contact me directly at meh27@cornell.edu or 315-788-8450 or 315-376-5270.
