The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1927-03-04
Check Diseases
by Fertilizing
Phosphate, Limestone and
Manure Benefit Corn Quail
ity and Yield.

One of the outstanding results of the
corn disease studies being made by
the college of agriculture, University
of Illinois, is the favorable effect of
manure, limestone and phosphate upon
the yield and quality of disease-in-
fected corn, it is reported by E. E.
DeTurk, chief in soil technology at the
college.
covering period of four seasons at
Urbana and Bloomington, the above
treatment increased the yield Of corn
from good seed from 66.2 bushels to
TIT bushels an acre, or 11.5 bushels;
while with diseased seed the increase
amounted to 14.3 bushels, the yield be-
ing raised from 52.4 to 66.7 bushels.
obtain Yield of Sound Corn.
While some Of the damage Of corn
rot diseases can be greatly reduced by
soil treatment, other injury cannot be
SO reduced. The yield finally obtained
in any case is the result of many fac
tors, some working for and some
against the corn, some for and some
against the parasitic fungi. Whenever
set of conditions is established
which are favorable for the growth of
corn, but which affect the disease
producing organism unfavorably, or
not at all, good yield of sound corn
will be obtained. On the other hand,
if the particular disease organism In
volved responds favorably to the same
influences which favor the corn, the
corn produced may be even poorer in
yield or quality than If the treatments
had been omitted.
Thus, in one case the total yield of
corn from good seed was increased
"a bushels, while from fusarim-in-
fected seed the increase was II bushels
for treatment with rock phosphate in
addition to organic manures. The in
creases in sound corn alone were 4.3
bushels and 1874 bushels for good and
fusarim-infected seed, respectively. In
this case conditions favoring the corn
plant did not likewise favor the growth
of the disease-producing organism.
With diplodia-infected seed, diff
ferent situation exists. On early
planted corn, rock phosphate had
similar favorable effect in raising the
yield of sound corn. The increase
from good seed was 90 bushels and
from diNodia seed was Is bushels.
Invynxvnr mhov, tho Mo
late in the season, the rock phosphate
had no effect upon the yield from
good seed, but decreased the yield
from diplodia seed by As bushels. In
this case the disease-producing organ
ism, instead Of the corn, was being
fortified.
Discover New Possibility.
An important outcome of these in
vestigations has been the discovery
of a new possibility in combining corn
breeding with fertilization for larger
and more economical yields. 1t has
been found possible, for instance, to
develop, by selection and breeding,
strains of corn which have more than
the usual capacity for absorbing and
utilizing phosphate from the soil and
particularly from added phosphates.
These developments may ultimately
come to mean much to the corn
grower.
Attacking corn diseases from many
angles has taught the lesson that
these important diseases cannot be
eliminated or controlled by any one
method. Some gains have been made
through fertilizer treatment and much
more by seed selection and breeding,
but neither of these nor even both to-
gether can be expected to furnish the
complete solution of the problem.