Pests, diseases & troubleshooting
Corn Diseases and Disorders: Smut, Rust, Leaf Blights, Ear Rots, Stalk Rots, and Look-Alikes
Corn symptoms must be read by plant part and growth stage. Leaf lesions, rust pustules, ear molds, smut galls, stalk breakage, nutrient striping, herbicide injury, drought firing, and insect wounds can overlap. Open ears and split stalks when necessary rather than diagnosing from one distant photograph.