Fact Sheets And Publications
Curvularia Leaf Spot
Pest Background
- Curvularia leaf spot is caused by the fungal pathogen Curvularia lunata.
- This disease was first observed in Delaware at the end of the 2020 season.
- The economic impact of this disease is still unknown in the United States.
Identification
- Early symptoms begin as small tan lesions with a yellow ring or "halo" when backlit (Fig 2).
- Lesions expand minimally into round shapes and become tan in color at the center (Fig 3).
- GLS lesions become larger than curvularia leaf spot lesions.
- Curvularia leaf spot is typically found in the midtoupper canopy of corn plants (Fig 1).
Fig 1: A corn leaf with lesions caused by
Curvularia lunata
Fig 2: A backlit leaf with lesions displaying
characteristic halo symptoms
Fig
3: Beginning lesion from Curvularia lunata
(left) compared with late season lesions (right
Management
- At present, no foliar fungicides are labeled.
- Differencesinvarietieshavebeennoted.
- Crop rotation and tillage can decrease inoculum present in field.
References
Henrickson, M., & Koehler, A. M. (2019).Plant dis. 103:2692doi:10.1094/PDIS-
Authors: Madeline Henrickson and Dr. Alyssa Koehler
UD Cooperative Extension
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