What is Southern corn leaf blight?

Southern corn leaf blight is a fungal disease of maize caused by the plant pathogen Bipolaris maydis.

The fungus is an Ascomycete and can use conidia or ascospores to infect. There are three races of B. maydis: Race O, Race C, and Race T; SCLB symptoms vary depending on the infectious pathogen's race. Race T is infectious to corn plants with the Texas male sterile cytoplasm and this vulnerability was the cause of the United States SCLB epidemic of 1969-1970 For this reason, Race T is of particular interest. While SCLB thrives in warm, damp climates, the disease can be found in many of the world's maize-growing areas. Typical management practices include breeding for host resistance, cultural controls and fungicide use.