A Detailed Guide to Controlling Common Corn Pests and Diseases

Corn is a common crop and also the main source of income for many farmers, and pests and diseases are one of the major reasons affecting corn yields. Below, Qinong Net brings you the common pests and diseases of corn, along with their characteristics and control methods. Let's take a look together.

1. Northern leaf blight and southern leaf blight

Northern leaf blight mainly harms the leaves, and in severe cases can endanger the husks. In the early stage of the disease, small grayish-green spots appear, which then gradually spread, covering the entire leaf with large irregular spots bearing black mold-like growth. Southern leaf blight harms the leaves and stems, producing oval or rectangular spots when the disease occurs. It can be prevented and eliminated by spraying diluted Amisida.

2. Bacterial wilt

Bacterial wilt is extremely harmful to corn. It mostly occurs during the jointing stage of corn, is difficult to eradicate completely, and causes the entire plant to wilt and die while still green. When the stem is peeled open, the pith inside is found to have turned brown. Because it is hard to detect, but it can be prevented, a specialized chemical agent can be used to drench the roots.

3. Rust disease

Rust disease mainly harms the leaves. In the early stage of the disease, round lesions appear on the leaves, accompanied by rust-colored powder, and in the later stage spores grow on the lesions. These spores can safely overwinter, and the following year will be spread again by airflow, gradually expanding, causing great harm. When selecting seeds, choose hybrid varieties with strong disease resistance, fertilize reasonably, and in the early stage of the disease spray a diluted wettable powder of triadimefon; if the disease is severe, spray repeatedly.

4. Hispa (iron-armored beetle)

The hispa has a hard shell and mostly lurks in the leaves, eating the leaf mesophyll clean and causing the leaves to wither and die. When hispa numbers are large, they can cause large areas of leaves to wither and die. A combination of chemical agents and manual control can be adopted. For chemical agents, try to choose pollution-free pesticides for spraying, and cut off and burn the leaves damaged by hispa.

5. Stem borers

Stem borers, also called heart borers, are the main insect pests of corn. They often bore into the stems and leaves of corn to feed, destroying the stem and leaf tissues, so that nutrients cannot be transported, affecting corn growth, and in severe cases causing the entire plant to wither and die. Use specialized insecticides to drench the whorl or spray to kill the insects.

The above are the common corn pests and diseases and their control methods brought to you by Qinong Net. There are many more pests and diseases of corn; this article only presents a few of the more common ones, and we hope it can help you.