Over the past week, I have had calls and e-mails regarding anthracnose top dieback in corn. First, a word of caution: Not all top dieback is caused by the anthracnose pathogen. Death of top leaves may be due to one or more of several factors that include hybrid characteristics, environmental stress, and corn borer damage. Bob Nielsen at Purdue University discusses these various factors in an article titled Top Leaf Death in Corn.