It has been a long cold winter with record low temperatures. This has led to some growers wondering if they still have to worry about plant diseases this growing season. As cold as it has been this winter, it may not have been cold enough for plant pathogens to die. Fungal pathogens have survival structures that enable them withstand very harsh weather conditions.

In mid-July at the Belleville Research Center near Belleville, Ill., George Kapusta held his 32nd annual agronomy “dog-and-pony show.” A veteran no-till researcher and speaker at several of our mid-winter National No-Tillage Conferences, the Southern Illinois University (SIU) weed scientist plans to retire later this year.