Phytophthora damping-off, root, and stem rot have been the most destructive diseases of soybeans in Ohio for more than 60 years. When rainfall saturates fields soon after planting, high incidence of seedling damping-off can result in yield losses greater than 50 percent in individual fields and require replanting. Statewide yield losses average 11 percent in years with wet springs and 8 percent in years with more normal planting seasons. The disease is most severe in poorly drained soils with high clay content.
Oak wilt is a serious and often deadly vascular disease of oaks. The fungal pathogen, Bretziella fagacearum (formerly Ceratocystis fagacearum), is known to occur in North America, but its origin is currently unknown. The pathogen is distributed throughout the Midwest and Texas. Over the years, and with variable frequency, it has been reported from the majority of the 88 Ohio counties.
