Goss’s, winter rye lack connection Some farmers are concerned
about winter cover crops being a potential host for Goss’s wilt.
According to Alison Robertson, Iowa State University Extension
plant pathologist, Goss’s wilt is a disease of corn caused by
the bacterium Clavibacter michiganense subsp.nebraskensis. Some
plants can serve as alternative hosts for the bacterium, namely
green foxtail, barnyard grass and shattercane. • Some farmers
worry that winter cover crops are a potential host for Goss’s
wilt. • Goss’s wilt is a foliar corn disease that’s caused by a
bacterium, not a fungus. • No study has shown that winter rye
cover crop is host for Goss’s wilt bacterium. Schuster reported
in a Nebraska Extension bulletin in 1975 that oats, wheat and
barley were not hosts of Goss’s wilt bacterium. Winter rye
wasn’t included in this study. There are no other studies to our
knowledge that have been conducted to see if winter rye is a
host for Goss’s wilt bacterium, but considering the similarities
of winter rye to o