Content by Madalyn Shires

Multi-rotor drone used for spray, spread and seeding

Required Licensing For Applying Pesticide Using Spray Drones

Fact sheet for South Dakota stakeholders wanting to get certified to apply pesticides with a spray drone.

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.

People stand in a field listening to a person speak

SDSU Extension programs help producers maintain healthy crops

August 26, 2025

Madalyn Shires puts on a lot of miles in the summer. As an assistant professor and SDSU Extension Plant Pathology Specialist, Shires traverses the state visiting research plots and educating crop producers on that research.

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.

Corn leaf samples with Southern Rust and Tar Spot.

Corn Diseases in South Dakota Update

Several South Dakota counties have confirmed positive cases of Southern Rust and Tar Spot this growing season. See our latest recommendations for dealing with these diseases before they become a problem.

Green wheat leaves with yellow streaks throughout.

Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus Complex: Breaking the Green Bridge

As wheat harvest proceeds, it won’t be long until winter wheat planting is underway in South Dakota. To effectively reduce wheat streak mosaic virus, it is important to manage the green bridge effect to slow spread of disease in newly emerging wheat fields.

Wheat plants infected with wheat streak mosaic virus.

Volunteer Wheat and Kochia Management With Herbicides Will Likely Require Two Passes

Wheat curl mites, which carry wheat streak mosaic virus, use volunteer wheat and grass weeds as secondary hosts to infest recently planted winter wheat crops. Therefore, effective management of these plants before winter wheat planting is critical.

Three chokecherry trees exhibiting various x-disease symptoms on their foliage.

X-Disease in Chokecherries

X-disease is the name given to a set of diseases caused by a strain of the bacteria “Candidatus Phytoplasma pruni” that primarily affects stone fruits. Infected plants will typically display yellowing or reddening of their leaves by mid summer.

Corn field with severe wind and hail damage.

Are Fungicides Needed On Hail-Damaged Crops?

Recent storms brought rain, severe wind, and hail. With the hail and wind damage that occurred, many growers are wondering if a fungicide application is needed to protect their hail or wind-damaged crops.

Three bean leaf beetles. From Left: Brown beetle with black spots on a green leaf. Yellow beetle with black spots on a green leaf. Red beetle with black spots on a green leaf.

Bean Leaf Beetles Showing Up in Soybean

Despite the prediction of low overwintering survival we have observed bean leaf beetles in soybean this week. See our latest observations and management recommendations.