Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology (2021) 43, S352-S357

Jessica Halvorson, Yongjae Kim, Upinder Gill and Andrew Friskop (2021)
First report of the southern corn rust pathogen Puccinia polysora on Zea mays in North Dakota
Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology 43 (sup2), S352-S357
Abstract: Southern corn rust, caused by Puccinia polysora, is a yield-limiting disease on corn (Zea mays). As a biotrophic fungal pathogen, P. polysora requires a living host for its survival. Southern corn rust is favoured by high-temperatures and humid environmental conditions, and therefore is more prevalent in the southern United States. In August 2020, corn plants displaying signs and symptoms of southern rust were collected in a field in Grand Forks County, North Dakota. Due to its rare occurrence in the region, spores of the pathogen were isolated and analyzed morphologically, and found to be consistent with P. polysora. This identification was confirmed by PCR analysis and Sanger sequencing, and demonstrated further using Koch's postulates. The discovery of P. polysora poses a potential threat to corn yields across North Dakota, and surveillance must be enhanced to predict possible epidemics in the future.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Upinder Gill

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
surveys/sampling/distribution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Puccinia polysora	Maize/corn (Zea mays)	U.S.A. (mid N)