MycoRant

In the nation’s corn belt,  worry still swirls about the wet growing season and the prospect for crop damage from mold. According to Late, Wet Corn Harvest Favors Ear Mold:

These ear molds may be of various colors, such as green, pink, white, red or black. Color is one distinguishing trait of various fungi that commonly cause corn ear mold. Some of the fungi are growing on dead tissue and are relatively harmless but unsightly. Other corn ear mold fungi, such as Gibberella and Fusarium ear rots (with white to pink to red color), have the potential to produce mycotoxins, such as vomitoxin, zearalenone and fumonisin.

The concern is echoed in Molds, mycotoxins and storage keys to this year’s corn crop:

The cool summer with below average heat units followed by an extremely wet fall have caused great concern for a quality corn harvest in the fall of 2009. The wet and cool conditions have made for extremely favorable conditions for mold development on corn in the field. The higher moisture corn in the fields along with the presence should be concerns for livestock and non-livestock producers, but to what extent is going to be variable.

If two is good, three is better; Wet weather slows harvest:

While mold on the area corn crop can be a cause for concern, Farm Service Agency Director Grant Herfindahl said area farmers have lucked out so far since most of the mold that has been found is white. Herfindahl said a common rule of thumb is that colored mold is worse than white mold.

Tags: corn, mycotoxins, phytopathology