Content by Madalyn Shires
Aster Leafhoppers Showing up in South Dakota Wheat
Aster leafhoppers are present in wheat again this spring. For the last few years, aster leafhoppers have been a common occurrence in South Dakota wheat.
How to Use the South Dakota Mesonet Small Grains Tool
South Dakota Mesonet Small Grains Tool is an easy-to-use and efficient tool that can help identify disease risks associated with wheat leaf rust, wheat leaf spot diseases, and Fusarium head blight.
Fusarium Head Blight Update: May 29, 2025
Fusarium head blight, also known as scab, is a fungal disease that infects wheat heads during flowering. Recent weather conditions across South Dakota have provided the environment needed for Fusarium head blight to begin infection.
SDSU Plant Diagnostic Clinic provides fast diagnoses of plant diseases
March 07, 2025
South Dakota State University Plant Diagnostic Clinic is the only public diagnostic clinic for plant diseases in South Dakota and receives more than 1,500 samples each year.
SDSU Extension to host tar spot webinar
January 24, 2025
Tar spot is a potentially yield-impacting corn disease that was confirmed in 46 of South Dakota’s 66 counties in 2024. The fungus can cling to crop residue over the winter and re-emerge once temperatures rise. It’s most commonly spread in South Dakota by wind-blown spores.
Corn Stunt in South Dakota
In late September, a sample received from Deuel County was confirmed positive for corn stunt, a disease spread through corn leafhopper feeding. This diagnosis is the furthest north corn stunt has ever been confirmed and reported in the United States.
Current State of Row Crop Weed Management in South Dakota
Results of an online survey to determine how South Dakota stakeholders are currently managing row crop weeds.
SDSU Extension to host disease scouting workshop for corn, soybeans
October 01, 2024
If you have been wondering what you’re seeing in your corn or soybean fields this season, join the SDSU Extension plant pathology team in Volga to see tar spot in the corn field and white mold in the soybean field, or to have your own diseased plant material identified.
South Dakota Tar Spot Update: September 30, 2024
As of September 26, 2024, our researchers have confirmed the presence of tar spot in 25 counties across the eastern half of South Dakota. The severity of infection has varied anywhere from less than 1% to approximately 20% on individual corn plants.
South Dakota Tar Spot Update: September 13, 2024
Tar spot was recently found in Turner, Clay, Union, Yankton, and Bon Homme Counties. Low levels of tar spot do not indicate a need to spray, but they do indicate that fields should be routinely scouted until harvest.