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Story in Brief

On June 11, 2020, a suspected Southern Corn Rust sample was brought to the UGA Extension agent in Wayne County by a local cotton scout. The agent prepared the sample for identification and the UGA Extension plant pathologist confirmed the sample was positive by for Southern Corn Rust that same day. The agent had previously made corn producers aware and educated them on Southern Corn Rust through educational meetings, farm visits and producer notices. Once the initial confirmation was made, the agent notified all producers with the best preventative and curative fungicide recommendations. The agent also addressed the importance of applying fungicides at the appropriate stage of crop development for the preventative care to be successful. Once the initial applications were applied, producers were also instructed to watch and monitor their crops for any further spread or outbreaks. As a result of this educational effort, Wayne County’s corn crop was protected from this devastating disease this year.