| Fig 1. Corn stand with all leaves below the ear removed |
Will Stallard, UK ANR agent in Casey Co., KY, came across an odd set of damage on a corn field. It seems that in about a 7-acre area all of the leaves on the corn plants below the ear level were gone, while leaves at and above the ear level suffered only minor damage. There were no pests present at the time of observation so what would eat all the leaves up to the ear, but not cause much damage above the ear? After several iterations of photos and some consultation about what might have caused this unusual damage pattern, and why, we have finally come to a conclusion.