Together, this group represents a broad, multi-state collaboration focused on advancing predictive tools for corn disease management.
Significant progress has been made to date. Crop risk models for tar spot, gray leaf spot, and Gibberella ear rot/deoxynivalenol (DON) have been successfully integrated into the Crop Risk Tool in collaboration with the Crop Protection Network. In 2025 alone, the tool recorded over 10,600 landing page views and more than 37,000 forecasts generated by approximately 4,800 new users, demonstrating strong stakeholder engagement. Additional accomplishments include the development of species-specific primers for detecting Phyllachora maydis, now in use at the National Agricultural Genotyping Center, and the completion of more than 150 experimental plot trials since 2005. Outreach efforts have reached over 500,000 stakeholders through field days, workshops, meetings, and online programming, with research translated into accessible resources such as the “Tar Spot Prediction in Corn: The Weather Matters” publication, which has garnered nearly 2,000 unique views.
Current projects continue to build on this momentum. New risk models for northern corn leaf blight and southern rust are in development, with anticipated availability on the Crop Risk Tool in summer and fall 2026, respectively. Efforts are also focused on prioritizing the collection of disease data from commercial fields to validate existing models and improve their accuracy. Experimental plot trials remain ongoing, and existing Crop Protection Network outputs are being updated with new findings from the project. Additional considerations include expanding modeling efforts to address fumonisins, reflecting an evolving research scope aligned with stakeholder needs.
Looking ahead, the committee plans to further expand predictive capabilities by developing risk models for additional diseases such as Curvularia leaf spot and potentially fumonisin contamination. Continued validation of models using real-world data from commercial fields will remain a priority to ensure reliability and practical relevance. The team also intends to enhance and expand educational and management resources through the Crop Protection Network, supporting farmers in making informed decisions to manage corn diseases effectively. These future efforts will strengthen the overall impact of the initiative and contribute to more resilient and data-driven agricultural systems.