Pests, Diseases and Disorders of Sweet Corn
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Pests, Diseases and Disorders of Sweet Corn A FIELD IDENTIFICATION GUIDE Millimetres 0 10 20 First published June 2015 © Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited. 30 Copyright protects this publication. Except for purposes permitted by the Copyright Act, reproduction by whatever means is prohibited without the prior written permission of Horticulture Innovation Australia Ltd. 40 National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry 50 Author: Jenny Ekman (AHR). Title: Pests, diseases and disorders of sweet corn: a field identification guide ISBN: 978-0-9925251-3-2 (paperback) 60 Subjects: Sweet corn—Diseases and Pests—Australia. Dewey number: 635.672 70 This project has been funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia using the vegetable industry levy and funds from the Australian Government. 80 Guide produced by Applied Horticultural Research Designed by Noel Wendtman Design 90 Disclaimer Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited (HIA Ltd) makes no representations and expressly disclaims all warranties (to the extent permitted by law) about the accuracy, completeness, or 100 currency of information in this book. Reliance on any information provided by HIA Ltd is entirely at your own risk. HIA Ltd is not responsible for, and will not be liable for, any loss, damage, claim, expense, cost (including 110 legal costs) or other liability arising in any way (including from HIA Ltd or any other person’s negligence or otherwise) from your use or non-use of information in this book, or from reliance on information contained in the material or that HIA Ltd provides to you by any other means. 120 130 Pests, Diseases and Disorders of Sweet Corn A FIELD IDENTIFICATION GUIDE Jenny Ekman Contents Acknowledgements INSECTS African black beetle 3 Lacewing 25 This project was made possible by funding from Horticulture Aphid — corn 4 Ladybird 26 Innovation Australia using the national vegetable levy Aphid — green peach 5 Maize leafhopper 28 and matched funds from the Australian Government. Armyworm 6 Maize thrips 29 Production of the guide would not have been possible without Assassin bug 8 Mite — predatory 30 the generous assistance of fellow researchers, agronomists, Big eyed bug 9 Mite — two-spotted 31 extension officers and interested amateur photographers. Black headed mirid 10 Parasitoid wasps 32 Special thanks are due to; Brown marmorated stink bug 11 Pirate bug 34 Jerry Lovatt and John Duff – QDAF Cluster caterpillar 12 Plague soldier beetle 35 Andy Ryland – IPMC Cricket — black field 13 Planthopper 36 Cricket — mole 14 Red and blue beetle 37 Stuart Learmonth – DAFWA Cutworm 15 Red-shouldered leaf beetle 38 Len Tesoriero – NSW DPI Damsel bug 16 Rutherglen bug 39 Dried fruit beetle 17 Sorghum head caterpillar 40 Earwig — black field 18 Symphyla 41 Photographs Earwig — brown 19 Tachinid flies 42 Pictures other than those taken by the author are attributed to Glossy shield bug 20 White fringed weevil 43 the photographer and/or their organisation. Every effort has been Green vegetable bug 21 Wireworms 44 made to contact photographers and obtain their permission Heliothis 22 Yellow peach moth 46 to reproduce material. The publisher apologises for any errors Hoverfly 24 or omissions in attribution and would be grateful if notified of DISEASES corrections that can be incorporated into future editions. Boil smut 48 Northern/Turcicum leaf blight 54 Brown spot 49 Rust — common 55 Abbreviations Damping off 50 Rust — tropical / Polysora 56 Fusarium cob rot 51 Virus — Johnsongrass mosaic 57 CIMMYT International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre Head smut 52 Virus — maize stripe 58 CSU Colorado State University Java downy mildew 53 DAFWA Department of Agriculture and Food WA DISORDERS IPNI International Plant Nutrition Institute Blanking 60 Phosphorus deficiency 69 MAF Ministry of Agriculture and Food Boron deficiency 61 Potassium deficiency 70 NSW DPI NSW Department of Primary Industries Calcium deficiency 62 Salinity 71 OMAFRA Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Copper deficiency 63 Sulphur deficiency 72 Iron deficiency 64 Uneven germination/growth 73 PaDIL Pest and Disease Image Library Magnesium deficiency 65 Zinc deficiency 74 QDAF Qld Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Manganese deficiency 66 Nutrient deficiency symptoms 75 USDA ARS United States Department of Agriculture Nitrogen deficiency 67 Agricultural Research Service Overmaturity 68 Problem solver 76 WSU Washington State University INSECTS INSECTS Insects iv 1 African black beetle Heteronychus arator INSECTS DESCRIPTION DAMAGE Larvae: Whitish C-shaped Larvae feed on plant roots, grub up to 30 mm long reducing growth and INSECTS with light brown head potentially killing small and 6 legs. The rear end plants. Adults can cause sometimes has a grey tinge. major damage by chewing the bases of plants and Adult: Shiny black, stout ringbarking seedlings. bodied beetle around 10–15 mm long. Legs are MOST COMMON adapted for digging. Strong Spring and early summer, flier. Mass dispersal flights mainly in coastal areas from by adults occur March–April Victoria to south-east Qld and occasionally in spring. and south-western regions of WA. Favoured by winter rainfall followed by a warm, dry spring and summer. African black beetle larvae or ‘curl grub’ and adult beetle (PaDIL) 2 3 Aphid — corn Aphid — green peach Rhopalosiphum maidis Myzus persicae INSECTS DESCRIPTION DAMAGE DESCRIPTION Nymph: Similar to adult Sucks sap, reducing plant Nymph: Yellowish to green. vigour. Leaves develop yellow though smaller. Adult: Wingless adults INSECTS and brownish-red streaks. Adult: Light to olive are pale yellow to green green with dark purple MOST COMMON and around 2 mm long. spots at the bases of the Spring to autumn, but can Winged females have black rear cornicles (tube-like be found in most growing heads with dark red eyes projections) and dark head. districts throughout the year. and patterned bodies. DAMAGE Causes leaf distortion through feeding and can contaminate cob. MOST COMMON During warmer months on a large range of host plants. Green peach aphid mature adults and nymphs on sowthistle and winged Corn aphids in close-up, and a colony in the emerging tassel form (S Bauer USDA ARS) 4 5 Armyworm — common, African, southern Mythimna convecta, Spodoptera exempta, Persectania ewingii INSECTS DESCRIPTION DAMAGE Egg: Common armyworms Feeding causes characteristic lay clumps of eggs in cracks ragged chewing damage, INSECTS or crevices, often on dry plant starting along the outer edges material. African armyworms of each leaf. Small plants may lay large, irregularly shaped be killed, others severely egg masses topped with damaged. Caterpillars are cottony material. mainly nocturnal and tend to hide in the central leaf Caterpillar: Hairless whorl during the day. caterpillar 30–40 mm long with four central prolegs. MOST COMMON Orange-brown head with Spring to early summer, green to brown body when moths are active. and three obvious white to yellow stripes starting immediately behind the head. Adult: Plain, brownish moth around 20 mm long, wings held flat along body. Armyworm inside corn leaf whorl, showing ragged feeding damage (Uni Delaware) Mature common armyworm (J Wessels QDAF) and African armyworms Adult moths of common, African and southern armyworms (D Hobern, (D Ironside QDAF) B Richardson and D Hobern) 6 7 Assassin bug Beneficial Big eyed bug Beneficial Pristhesancus plagipennis Geocoris spp. insect ✓ insect ✓ INSECTS DESCRIPTION DESCRIPTION BENEFIT Nymph: Similar to 150–200 heliothis caterpillars Nymph: Patterned Adults and nymphs prey adult but wingless. in less than 3 months. brown, pear-shaped with on aphids, mites, heliothis INSECTS prominent eyes. Wing buds eggs and small caterpillars. Adult: Shield-shaped bug MOST COMMON 10–30 mm long with large appearing in later instars. MOST COMMON Any time of year. eyes and powerful, curved, Adult: Black bug around Any time of year. sucking mouthpart. Colour 5 mm long with prominent varies from orange to red dark eyes. Fast moving, and brown, sometimes with with clear wings folded distinct patterning. Strong flat over its back. front legs for grasping prey. BENEFIT Adults and nymphs are aggressive predators on other insects, particularly soft bodied caterpillars. A single nymph may consume Common assassin bug adult (P Chew) and nymph (J Wessels QDAF) Adult big-eyed bug (Alain C Flickr) 8 9 Black headed mirid Beneficial Brown marmorated stink bug Exotic Tytthus chinensis Halyomorpha halys pest ✗ insect ✓ INSECTS DESCRIPTION DESCRIPTION Nymph: Pale green, pear- Nymph: Initially black bugs were first found in shaped bug with dark reddish and orange, progressing the USA in 1998, spread INSECTS eyes and banded antennae. to patterned brown with rapidly and are now a Adult: Slender black bug rust-red markings. major horticultural pest. around 3 mm long with Adult: Brown and white shield MOST COMMON long antennae. Fast moving, shaped bug approximately Not yet in Australia, but with semitransparent wings 17 mm long. Two distinctive has been detected inside held flat along its back. white bands on antennae. shipping containers. Most BENEFIT DAMAGE active during summer. Adults and nymphs Sap sucking by all life stages eat heliothis eggs. on fruit and leaves, including sweet corn kernels, causes MOST COMMON severe damage. Adults Any time of year. overwinter inside buildings. Brown marmorated stink Brown marmorated stink bug on corn (B Little Uni Georgia), an adult, and feeding Adult mirids (American Natural History Museum (top), QDAF) damage to kernels (TP Kuhar Virginia Tech) 10 11 Cluster caterpillar Cricket — black field Spodoptera litura Teleogryllus commodus INSECTS DESCRIPTION MOST COMMON DESCRIPTION DAMAGE Egg: Laid in a large mass, Spring to autumn Nymph: Similar to adult, but Not usually a major problem, usually covered with fluffy in Queensland. with less developed wings. but can cause damage by INSECTS chewing on prop roots. Can light brown material. Adult: Stout, black cricket also damage irrigation by Caterpillar: Initially grey- with large head, short wings chewing on drip tape. green and feeds in a and powerful rear legs. group, but separate as they Females have long ovipositor.