If you haven’t already heard… there’s a new bacterial disease in corn.
In truth, it’s not entirely new, but it hasn’t been a major concern in the Corn Belt in my lifetime.
Corn stunt disease has been known since the last century and is often found in South America, Central America, and Mexico. It’s rearing its head again in the United States and moving farther north than ever.
Corn stunt is caused primarily by the bacterium Spiroplasma kunkelii, although two bacteria and one virus can be found together when corn stunt is confirmed. This Spiroplasma bacterium is often carried from plant to plant by the corn leafhopper. Corn leafhoppers are native to Mexico and have spread throughout the warmer regions of the Americas. Last summer, they made it as far north as Minnesota and were documented there for the first time.