COLUMBIA, Mo. – Those attending the 2024 University of Missouri Crop Management Conference, Dec. 4-5 in Columbia, can learn about corn-damaging insects affecting crops in Missouri.

The two-day event is at a new location, the Columbia Hilton Garden Inn and Conference Center.

MU Extension crops entomologist Ivair Valmorbida will give an update on corn leafhoppers, small insects found Missouri corn crops for the first time in 2024.

The small, light tan/yellow insects feed on corn leaves and carry pathogens that cause corn stunt disease. This leads to deformed grain, loose kernels and short stalks, resulting in lower yields, says Valmorbida.

They move rapidly within and among cornfields and fly or jump away when disturbed. They can be found in shaded areas of corn, resting and feeding in the whorl of young plants and hidden on the undersides of leaves.

Corn leafhoppers reproduce only in corn and its relatives.

The leafhopper was first found in southwestern Missouri crops this year, but MU Extension specialists think it may be more widespread in the state than previously thought.

Valmorbida will tell how the leafhopper spreads, how to scout for it and what cultural practices may limit its spread.

For details and registration, visit https://mizzou.us/CMC. Call Heather Nichols at 573-882-4303 if you have questions.

Photo

https://extension.missouri.edu/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/2024/20241126-leafhopper-1.jpg
At the MU Crop Management Conference, Dec. 4-5 in Columbia, MU Extension crops entomologist Ivair Valmorbida will share information about corn leafhopper, an insect that spreads corn stunt disease. Photo courtesy of Ivair Valmorbida, assistant professor and state extension entomologist, University of Missouri.