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ISU Provides Crop Disease Resources

By Alison Robertson
 
Farmers, agronomists and agribusiness professionals are encouraged to seek out upcoming opportunities and new resources offered by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach on corn and soybean diseases during the late growing season. These include a Crop Disease Clinic on Aug. 24, recently released national corn and soybean disease guides, newly combined and revised corn and soybean disease field guides for the Midwest, and an opportunity to speak with crop disease experts at the 2016 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa.
 
Alison Robertson with farmers in a corn field
 
Crop Disease Clinic
 
On Aug. 24, the Crop Disease Clinic will cover the principles of Integrated Pest Management and research-based recommendations for Iowa corn and soybean production. The Crop Disease Clinic qualifies for 6.0 pest management credits for Certified Crop Advisers and will be led by Alison Robertson, associate professor and extension specialist in plant pathology and microbiology at Iowa State University, and Daren Mueller, assistant professor and extension specialist in plant pathology and microbiology at Iowa State University. Register for the event online at www.aep.iastate.edu/feel/disease. The registration deadline is midnight on Friday, Aug. 19.
 
New Corn and Soybean Disease Publications
 
Earlier this summer, A Farmers Guide to Corn Diseases and A Farmers Guide to Soybean Diseases were published by the American Phytopathological Society, with ISU Extension and Outreach specialists serving as contributing authors. These publications are customized to the needs of farmers throughout the United States, with an emphasis on diagnosing diseases in the field. The guides are available for purchase at the online Extension Store. Also coming soon are revised field guides that combine the Corn Field Guide and Soybean Field Guide in one publication for ease of use by corn and soybean farmers, agronomists and crop scouts in Iowa and the Midwest. This 158-page pocket-sized weatherproof guide will be available at the Extension store by Aug. 19 in print and electronic formats.
 
Crop Disease Experts at Farm Progress Show
 
Robertson and Mueller also will be present in the Iowa State University tent at the 2016 Farm Progress Show in Boone, Iowa, Aug. 30-Sept. 1. Robertson will be in the Iowa State tent between 8 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 31, before taking the stage to discuss prevalent corn diseases that are currently in Iowa corn fields and provide a disease outlook for the rest of the growing season. Mueller will be available for questions and discussion on Thursday, Sept. 1, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feel free to stop by the exhibit, located at the corner of Central Avenue and 7th St., to talk to experts, view demonstrations and listen to experts talk on the speaker stage throughout the show. Keep up on Twitter during the Farm Progress Show by using or searching #IowaStateFPS or by following the crops Twitter account @ISUCropNews.
 

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