Alabama
Alabama Corn: Southern Rust Alert for Southeast Counties
Southern corn rust postules. Photo by Dr. Austin Hagan, Alabama Cooperative Extension
Southern rust was confirmed in two counties in South Georgia last week and more will follow. This is a little early for that disease to develop and suggests a real threat to corn growers in Southeast Alabama for now, but possibly growers throughout Alabama depending how the situation unfolds in the coming weeks.
Weather conditions are quite favorable for spread of southern rust, but irrigated corn provides ideal conditions for its development. All growers in Southeast Alabama with irrigated corn at or very near tassel are at risk. Growers across south Alabama should have any action plan in place if or when southern rust arrives in their area.
The main focus for management is to protect against southern rust before it is present in a field, or at least before it is well established. No fungicide works well once southern rust is established in a field. Growers should consider making a fungicide application if corn is at the appropriate growth stage (don’t spray corn that is not at least starting to tassel) and if the crop has good yield potential.
Growers need to consider yield potential PLUS market prices and previous input costs when deciding to spray. A fungicide application for southern rust will cost somewhere between $15 and $30 per acre including the airplane but the crop will be protected. Failure to spray in a timely manner could result in a 100 bu/A loss in yield based on data from previous years in dealing with this damaging fungal pathogen.
It would be wise to use a fungicide with a mixed mode of action that combines different chemistries. There are many products on the market, but we have seen success in the Southeast region of U.S. with Trivapro, Headline Amp, Veltyma, Aproach Prima, Stratego YLD, Delano, Fortix, Lucento, among others.
One application applied at the optimum time could do the trick, but a second spray, possibly a cheaper option, may be necessary 2-3 weeks later where high disease pressure exists.
Growers with non-irrigated corn and low yields potential (less than 100 bu/A) might think a fungicide application is not economically unfeasible. Everyone has to make their own decisions on spraying in the end. You know your potential crop yield and budget better than I do, of course.
If you have a good scout who has not found southern rust in your field, you might also consider delaying a spray. Spraying corn in southwest, central, and north Alabama could be delayed until we hear reports of southern rust moving into those regions of the state.
Symptoms of southern rust are similar to those of common rust, but pustules of southern rust are smaller and mainly occur on the upper leaf surface. Pustules are typically circular or oval, and tightly scattered over the leaf surface. Spores are orange when they erupt from the pustule. In time, pustules become chocolate brown to black, often forming dark circles around the original pustule.
Common rust is rarely a concern in hybrid corn. The disease typically occurs early in the season, first appearing on the lower leaves, and does not cause yield losses. Early symptoms of common rust are chlorotic flecks on the leaf surface. These flecks develop into powdery, brick-red pustules as the fungal spores erupt through the leaf.
Pustules are oval or elongated, about 1/8 inch long, and scattered lightly or clustered together on the leaf. Leaf tissue around the pustules may become yellow or brown. As pustules mature, the red spores turn black. Husks, leaf sheaths, and stalks also may be infected.
Alabama
Walmart recalls popular product sold in Alabama, 1 other state for ‘possible spoilage’
For anyone thinking of cooking up warm soup to stave off the winter cold, there’s an important recall you need to know about.
Walmart has recalled 12,000 units of Great Value Chicken Broth sold in 48-ounce cartons in two states – Alabama and Arkansas. According to the Food and Drug Administration, the recall is due to the “potential for packaging failures that could compromise the sterility of the product, resulting in spoilage.”
The products have a best if used by date of March 25, 2026 with lot code 98F09234. They were sold in aseptic paper cartons and a total of 2,023 cases or 12,138 cartons were included in the recall.
The broth was produced by Tree House Foods Inc. of British Columbia.
The FDA did not assign a risk level to the recall and did not report any incidents involving the products.
People with the broth should return it to Walmart for a refund.
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Alabama
What Nate Oats called ‘a disaster’ in Alabama win over South Carolina
Alabama men’s basketball won somewhat comfortably against South Carolina.
Plenty went right in the 88-68 victory over the Gamecocks on Wednesday in Columbia, South Carolina. Alabama shot 55%, outrebounded the Gamecocks, saw the bench outscore South Carolina 39-4 while scoring more points in the paint, fast break points and 3-pointers.
But there was something with which Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats was displeased.
Free throws.
“Would have been better if we made some free throws tonight,” Oats said. “That was a disaster for us. But everything else … It was good enough to win tonight.”
Alabama finished 10-for-20 (50%) from the charity stripe, which was the lowest total of the season so far. The previous low was 51.4% against Kent State late in December.
Not a mark Oats wants, but it didn’t make a difference in the game. All the other ways Alabama scored, particularly in the first half, made free throws a non-factor. As a result, No. 5 Alabama (13-2, 2-0 SEC) beat South Carolina (10-5, 0-2).
“First road game for us in the SEC,” Oats said. “I thought our guys answered the bell pretty well.”
The free throws might have been a disaster, but there was plenty else that Oats liked. That includes the defense, which limited South Carolina to .971 points per possession.
“I thought our defense was significantly better for the whole 40,” Oats said.
Oats specifically praised the efforts of Mo Dioubate. He finished plus-19 while matched up mainly against Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina’s leading scorer and a likely first-round NBA Draft pick.
“I thought Dioubate did a great job guarding him,” Oats said. “He really impacts the game in a big way,” Oats said.
Boyles-Murray tallied six points, four of which came from free throws, while finishing 1-for-6 from the field. He also had two turnovers.
“We got a lot of good efforts from a lot of people,” Oats said. “Good road win for us.”
Next up, Alabama will face No. 10 Texas A&M on the road on Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN)
Nick Kelly is an Alabama beat writer for AL.com and the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X and Instagram.
Alabama
Alabama Basketball Demolishes South Carolina in First SEC Road Game
No. 5 Alabama men’s basketball won its first SEC road test over South Carolina 88-68 on Wednesday evening in relatively easy fashion.
One big reason for this being a must-see matchup was due to the reunion with former Alabama and current South Carolina forward Nick Pringle, who was a part of the Crimson Tide’s Final Four run last season. Alabama head coach Nate Oats said during Tuesday’s press conference that like most players facing their former team, Pringle will likely tell the Gamecocks about the Tide’s play style to try and gain an advantage well ahead of tipoff.
However, this was not the case early as Alabama cruised to a commanding 45-28 halftime lead. Crimson Tide Preseason All-American guard Mark Sears quickly lived up to that status as he started the game 6-of-7, with 16 points including 4-of-4 on attempts from behind the arc.
Sears’ effort certainly rubbed off on the rest of the team in the first half as Alabama’s 60 percent from the field (18-of-30), including a 6-of-11 clip from downtown. In addition to 13 assists, the Tide also grabbed six offensive rebounds, which led to seven second-chance points, scored 22 points in the paint and recorded five steals and three blocks.
Crimson Tide center Clifford Omoruyi and conference-leading three-time SEC Freshman of the Week Labaron Philon also had a very solid first half on both ends of the floor to help contribute to the massive lead.
The start to the second half was a bit slower for Alabama, as after a poor play, Oats took out the entire starting five. One of the replacements was guard Aden Holloway who scored seven straight points for Alabama to regain the Tide’s momentum and build a more comfortable 56-39 lead with 15 minutes to go in the second half.
The importance of depth played a role in this one as Holloway led Alabama to 36 bench points while the Gamecocks had four. Furthermore, South Carolina’s secondary group didn’t score a bench point until there were less than two minutes remaining in regulation.
From there on, both teams traded buckets, but Alabama’s tremendous start kept the Tide composed and Gamecocks unable to make a massive comeback. Even when Alabama had scoring droughts, its defense prevailed in making sure South Carolina didn’t chip away. Forward Grant Nelson played a key role here as Gamecocks forward Collin Murray-Boyles, SC’s leading scorer coming into the game, finished 1-of-6 from the field.
In short, Alabama’s first half was significantly better than the second, but the Crimson Tide’s defense in the latter portion of the night made the offensive performance not matter as much. Of course, consistency in both halves will be important for the rest of the gauntlet of an SEC slate.
Alabama improves to 13-2 (2-0 SEC) while South Carolina slides down to 10-5 (0-2 SEC).
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