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Crazy top can be found throughout the corn belt, but
rarely causes substantial losses. The disease develops where soils have been
saturated for 24 to 48 hours soon after planting and where ground water has
infiltrated the whorl. The most characteristic symptom is the
proliferation of leafy structures from the tassel and/or ears, thus the name
"crazy top." In many cases, leafy protrusions occur in only the
ears resulting in a mass of strap-like leaves protruding from the ear zone.
Affected plants may also have profuse tiller development. Crazy top is
caused by the soil borne fungus, Sclerophthora macrospora. This fungus attacks
all types of corn and a number of wild grasses. After the fungus infects, it
grows systemically within the plant and may be detected in all the above ground
tissues of the diseased plant.
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