BEAUFORT COUNTY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION
INFECTION: Recently, officials with the Beaufort County Cooperative Extension identified Southern Corn Rust, an aggressive fungal disease in corn that is well adapted to warm, humid or wet environments, in a crop near Pantego, according to an email from Extension Director Rod Gurganus. Prior to the confirmation, the Hyde County Cooperative Extension identified the same disease in Swan Quarter. According to a NC Cooperative Extension press release, the disease cannot survive cold conditions and spreads north during the summer via windblown spores from latitudes near the equator. It can be recognized by the bright orange or golden brown, circular to oval pustules that give corn leaves a rusty appearance. According Gurganus, farmers should keep their eyes open for rust in their crops and know what stage of growth your crop is in to make the best decision on whether to apply fungicide or not. For more information about Southern Corn Rust or for help identifying the disease, visit http://beaufort.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2014/07/Southern-Rust-in-Corn-in-2015.pdf?fwd=no or contact Rod Gurganus at 252-946-0111. For farmers in Hyde County that need assistance, contact Andrea Gibbs at 252-926-4488.