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POSTERS: Cultural Control II

P-140 - Factors affecting seedling disease severity of corn planted following a winter cereal rye cover crop

Tuesday, August 5, 2025
9:30 AM - 10:15 AM HST
Location: Exhibit Hall 3
Abstract Text: Winter cereal rye (Secale cereale; WCR) is the most common cover crop (CC) used in field production systems in the United States (U.S.) because of ease of establishment, winter hardiness, growth at low temperature, and extensive biomass production. However, when corn is planted following a WCR CC yield loss may occur. Prior research has demonstrated one potential cause for corn yield loss is seedling disease. In our previous study, we found WCR terminated at/after planting had increased WCR biomass, caused more severe corn seedling disease, and decreased corn yield. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify environmental and agronomic factors affecting seedling disease severity for corn planted following WCR at 16 locations in the U.S. from 2021 to 2023. Random forest analysis of agronomic data across all locations was used to identify factors that contributed to corn seedling disease severity. The best predictors of corn seedling disease severity were soil temperature < 10°C seven days after planting (DAP), precipitation seven DAP, and WCR biomass seven DAP. Other important factors included soil type, corn hybrid and planting date, WCR variety and planting rate, and time to seedling emergence. These data provide valuable insights into the factors contributing to an increased risk of corn seedling disease severity following a WCR CC and may be used to develop improved and effective management practices for corn planted following a WCR CC.