Bacterial Stalk Rot of Corn
Published: 01/24/2022
Bacterial stalk rot is caused by Erwinia dissolvens. It causes decay of the first internode above the soil. The rind and the pith become soft, brown, and water-soaked. Affected plants have a foul odor. The stalk typically twists and falls over, but the plant may remain green for several weeks because the vascular tissue is not destroyed.
It can occur any time during the season, particularly if conditions are very wet. Some hybrids are more susceptible than others.
E. chrysanthemi, another bacterium, can cause bacterial top rot. With bacterial top rot, the upper leaves become gray to brown with shortened internodes. The outside of the stalk may be brown to black and water soaked. The leaf tissue within the whorl and the growing point of the stem within the whorl are brown, wet, slimy, and have a foul odor that smells like silage.
Symptoms of bacterial stalk rot.
Image: D. Mueller
Plant tissue remaining green after stalk falls due to bacterial stalk rot.
Image: D. Mueller
This publication was developed by the Crop Protection Network, a multi-state and international collaboration of university/provincial extension specialists and public/ private professionals that provides unbiased, research-based information to farmers and agricultural personnel.
This information in this publication is only a guide, and the authors assume no liability for practices implemented based on this information. Reference to products in this publication is not intended to be an endorsement to the exclusion of others that may be similar. Individuals using such products assume responsibility for their use in accordance with current directions of the manufacturer.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
©2022 by the Crop Protection Network. All rights reserved.
