As if you didn’t have enough to worry about, there’s a new corn disease that may be on the way. It’s so new that plant pathologists refer to it as the “Bizzarro corn disease.”

So far, it hasn’t been confirmed in Iowa. However, it’s been observed in Kentucky for four years.

“It’s so new it doesn’t have a name,” says Camille Lambert, an FMC technical services manager. “We at first thought it was a physiological response to stress, because it looks like a sunburn or sun scale. It has been identified as a pathogen. Diagnosis is not complete, but plant pathologists are fairly sure it is the same fungus that causes Diaporthe (formerly Phomopsis) seed decay in soybeans.”

So far, fungicides FMC has tested have great efficacy against the disease. Still, it’s questionable as to how yield limiting it is. So far, it is not prevalent in corn fields.

“You will see it more where there is greater air movement, such as in a skip in a field, says Lambert.