Given the wet growing conditions over the last month, corn in parts of Iowa will be very susceptible to Physoderma brown spot and node rot, caused by the fungus Physoderma maydis, and gray leaf spot, caused by the fungus Cercospora zeaemaydis.
Very early symptoms of many diseases look similar. For example, small yellow flecks may be indicative of several diseases and it can be hard to differentiate them without the presence of more mature lesions (or use of a microscope to examine spores and bacterial streaming).
Years of fungicide application research demonstrate that the single best time to apply a fungicide to corn for gray leaf spot control is from VT-R1, says Kansas State University Extension.
This may be the year to apply a foliar fungicide to minimize losses from disease. But only tank-mix an insecticide with it after you’ve thoroughly scouted your field.
The risk of foliar disease pressure in some fields may be higher this year due to the current wet, humid weather on top of extra disease inoculums from the cool, wet years of 2008 and 2009.
Record-high 2008 corn and soybean prices arguably meant that a fungicide application — or any other input that nudged up yields — paid for itself and then some.
But whether fungicides continue to be a tool that can be used profitably on a yearly basis as commodity prices settle is up for debate.
Think through the entire process before you start, don’t overlook anything, make sure the system flows together, address problems and find the needed solutions.
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On this episode of Conservation Ag Update, brought to you by Montag Manufacturing, growers from across the U.S. share their predictions for the upcoming planting season, including one no-tiller who’s “bullish” about a great spring.
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