Diseases & Disorders

All Diseases & Disorders Content

Dried corn growing in a field with visible damage and molding.

Mycotoxins: Should you be concerned?

Environmental stress caused by the weather or damaged crops increases the potential for mold and mycotoxin development. Learn some answers to common questions about mycotoxins and how to manage them.

Swarm of mosquitoes.

West Nile Virus Update: September 26, 2025

As of September 26, 2025, the South Dakota Department of Health (SD DOH) reported 74 human cases of West Nile Virus from Aurora, Beadle, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Charles Mix, Clay, Codington, Corson, Douglas, Grant, Gregory, Haakon, Hamlin, Hand, Hughes, Hutchison, Hyde, Lawrence, Lincoln, Marshall, Meade, Miner, Minnehaha, Pennington, Roberts, Sanborn, Spink, Stanley, Union, Walworth, and Yankton counties.

Swarm of mosquitoes.

West Nile Virus Update: September 10, 2025

As of September 10, 2025, the South Dakota Department of Health (SD DOH) reported 59 human cases of West Nile virus from Beadle, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Charles Mix, Codington, Corson, Grant, Gregory, Hamlin, Hand, Hughes, Hutchison, Hyde, Lawrence, Lincoln, Marshall, Meade, Miner, Minnehaha, Pennington, Sanborn, Spink, and Walworth counties.

Gardeners browsing a tablet computer while visiting a garden center.

Home Horticulture Resources for Gardeners

Horticulture is the branch of plant agriculture dealing with garden crops. In addition to our website, there are many horticulture resources available on the web to provide research-based information to help every gardener succeed.

Two white flowers with green leaves. The first flower has an abnormal fused bloom.

Fasciation: What’s going on with my plant?

Fasciation is a malformation of plant parts commonly manifested as enlargement, flattening or cojoining. The abnormal growth of plants can be uniquely puzzling and beautiful at the same time.

A group of brown cattle foraging in a green field.

Prussic Acid Poisoning

As the first frost date approaches, producers often have concerns about the risk of prussic acid poisoning in livestock. Certain forage plants, especially sorghums and related species are associated with an increased risk of death loss because of prussic acid poisoning.

Swarm of mosquitoes.

West Nile Virus Update: September 3, 2025

As of August, the South Dakota Department of Health indicated that West Nile Virus positive mosquito pools have been detected in Beadle, Brookings, Brown, Codington, Hughes, Lincoln, and Minnehaha counties.

Left Mosquito specimen with dark coloration. Right: Mosquito specimen with white band on its proboscis.

Mosquitos to Watch for in South Dakota

After many areas in South Dakota experienced heavy rainfalls, mosquitos are now a major issue. Learn which species are most common throughout the state and which carry the highest risk for West Nile Virus.

A green corn leaf with yellow to brown spots throughout.

Corn Disease Update: September 2, 2025

As of September 2, 2025, a number of corn diseases have been reported and confirmed throughout South Dakota. View our latest findings as we approach the fall harvest season.

Coneflower with Aster yellows disease.

Aster Yellows Phytoplasma

Aster yellows is a phytoplasmal disease carried and introduced by aster leafhopper. It is known to infect over 80 different plant families, as the aster leafhopper has extremely broad feeding habits.