West Virginia Disease-Resistant Hybrids Save Corn Crop Photo of Henry Kay by J. Baniecki

In the early 1970s, two corn diseases began threatening field-corn production in the Ohio River basin: maize dwarf mosaic virus and maize chlorotic dwarf virus. Today, thanks to IPM, farmers are managing these diseases by planting disease-resistant or disease-tolerant varieties.

The West Virginia IPM Program, in collaboration with the West Virginia Department of Agriculture and Ohio State University, continually determines which corn varieties are unaffected by both diseases. Through grower meetings and on-farm demonstrations, the IPM Program promotes the resistant varieties. John Baniecki, coordinator of the West Virginia IPM Program, says, "The virus causes sterile ears. If farmers didn't have our program, there would be no corn production in the region." Henry Kay, a corn farmer from Southside, West Virginia, is a cooperator in this ongoing IPM project. He says "I think the virus trials are important, since corn varieties are always changing. We need to keep up with their qualities and characteristics." Dale Nibert, agricultural producer in Ashton, agrees. "I use this information to decide which varieties I'll plant," he says.

State IPM Coordinator
John F. Baniecki
414 Brooks Hall
Morgantown, WV 26506
304 293 3911; banecki@wvnvms.wvnet.edu


return to IPM in the Northeast Region 1996 Report, Table of Contents

Northeast IPM Home