Managing disease can be a frustrating proposition. This Guide can help you identify which disease is damaging your crop.
Anthracnose Leaf Blight

© Purdue University, Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory
Location:
Predominantly in the US, Europe and Southeast AsiaSymptoms:
Anthracnose of corn may appear as a leaf blight, stalk-rot, top-kill of the stalk, and kernel rot. But most damage results from the stalk rot and leaf blight phases. Lesions can be found on leaves of very young plants soon after emergence. Leaf lesions are generally brown, oval to spindle shaped, about 1/4 inch wide by 1/2 inch long. Usually, a yellow or yellow-orange area surrounds the disease portion of the leaf. Lesions vary greatly among different hybrids making diagnosis in the field very difficult. The fungus can usually be seen on the leaf surface with the aid of a hand lens.Conditions:
Favored by cool to warm, wet, humid weather, continuous corn with reduced tillage.Management:
- Hybrid selection is the first step in disease control. Growers should carefully select hybrids with the proper leaf blight and stalk rot resistance, with good standability, and high yield potential. Resistant varieties are not always available for stalk rot.
- Since the anthracnose fungus survives in corn residues, especially on the soil surface, the disease may be more serious under reduced tillage systems and in continuous corn. A tillage system that chops and completely buries the residues coupled with a one-year rotation away from corn will eliminate the local source of inoculum. A two-year rotation away from corn may be necessary under no-tillage or reduced tillage systems.
- Avoid excessive plant stress by using a balanced soil fertility program based on soil tests. Plant at populations suggested for the particular hybrid, and control insects such as the European corn borer and corn rootworm.
Sources:
Purdue University
The Ohio State University
Bloomberg, Jim. Bayer CropScience Corn Disease Identification Guide PowerPoint. 2009.
Crop Disease Guide
To aid your search, we've included a photo and description along with scouting and management options. And we've also added beneficial insects by crop to help in your identification process.
Choose a Disease
By Crop:
Corn
Anthracnose Leaf Blight
Seed Rot
Gray Leaf Spot
Common Corn Rust
Southern Corn Rust
Northern Corn Leaf Blight
Eyespot
Northern Leaf Spot
Southern Corn Leaf Blight
Stewart's Bacterial Disease
Anthracnose Stalk Rot
Diplodia Stalk Rot
Gibberella Stalk Rot
Fusarium Stalk Rot
Diplodia Ear Rot
Gibberella Ear Rot
Fusarium Ear Rot
Aspergillus Ear Rot
Maize Sward Mosaic
Maize Chlorotic Dwarf
Crazy Top
Seed Rot
Gray Leaf Spot
Common Corn Rust
Southern Corn Rust
Northern Corn Leaf Blight
Eyespot
Northern Leaf Spot
Southern Corn Leaf Blight
Stewart's Bacterial Disease
Anthracnose Stalk Rot
Diplodia Stalk Rot
Gibberella Stalk Rot
Fusarium Stalk Rot
Diplodia Ear Rot
Gibberella Ear Rot
Fusarium Ear Rot
Aspergillus Ear Rot
Maize Sward Mosaic
Maize Chlorotic Dwarf
Crazy Top
Wheat
American Wheat Striate Mosaic
Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus
Glume Blotch Complex
High plains mosaic pathogen
Karnal bunt
Leaf rust
Powdery mildew
Scab (fusarium head blight)
Stem rust
Strawbreaker
Stripe rust
Take-all Root Rot
Tan spot
Wheat Spindle Streak Mosaic Virus
Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus
Wheat Soilborne Mosaic Virus
Rhizoctonia Spring Blight
Common Bunt (stinking Smut)
Loose Smut
Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus
Glume Blotch Complex
High plains mosaic pathogen
Karnal bunt
Leaf rust
Powdery mildew
Scab (fusarium head blight)
Stem rust
Strawbreaker
Stripe rust
Take-all Root Rot
Tan spot
Wheat Spindle Streak Mosaic Virus
Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus
Wheat Soilborne Mosaic Virus
Rhizoctonia Spring Blight
Common Bunt (stinking Smut)
Loose Smut
Soybean
Alfalfa mosaic
Anthracnose
Bacterial blight
Bacterial pustule
Bean pod mottle
Brown Stem rot
Cercospora leaf slight
Charcoal rot
Downey mildew
Frogeye leaf spot
Fusarium wilt
Phytophthora root and stem rot
Pod and stem blight
Powdery mildew
Pythium root rot
Rhizoctonia root rot
Septoria brown spot
Soybean mosaic
Soybean rust
Stem canker
Sudden death syndrome
White mold
Anthracnose
Bacterial blight
Bacterial pustule
Bean pod mottle
Brown Stem rot
Cercospora leaf slight
Charcoal rot
Downey mildew
Frogeye leaf spot
Fusarium wilt
Phytophthora root and stem rot
Pod and stem blight
Powdery mildew
Pythium root rot
Rhizoctonia root rot
Septoria brown spot
Soybean mosaic
Soybean rust
Stem canker
Sudden death syndrome
White mold