To Fungicide? Or not to Fungicide. That is the Question!

Well the days are flying by and the crops have already come a long way in the short one and a half month period since we planted it.  Before we know it, we will start to see the first tassels emerging in a couple weeks time – slightly behind schedule of course, but still not too bad.  Also, most soy fields have begun to flower on the bottom few nodes of the plant.  Again, a week or two behind but nothing unusual for a late May/early June planting.  I have attached a chart showing predicted flowering dates for our hybrid P0216AM.  This will give you a guide as to when to expect pollination to take place.  Other hybrids are likely to a few days earlier as P0216AM will be the latest of the hybrids we sell to flower. 

 

 

                Over the last few seasons, as tasseling and flowering time approaches, many farmers were lining up to get their names on the list and secure some product for a fungicide application.  However, in the marketplace we are currently in today, we are looking at $3.75/bushel new crop corn and $11.20/bushel new crop soys.  All of the sudden it is harder to see a payback by applying a fungicide.  Because of this, the application of fungicides is, of course, expected to be reduced significantly in Ontario this year.   

                This is unfortunate because, in my observation of this season so far, we are on track for a high disease pressure year – similar to last year.  So far we have been damp, overcast, and there have been a number of storm systems rolling through the region.  These storm systems bring disease pathogens in from Southern and Midwestern U.S. as well as stir up pathogens already present on overwintered trash.  We saw this phenomenon last year, where we had large storms roll through in June, bring with it Northern Leaf Blight which infected earlier than usual, shutting down low score resistance hybrids early.  Grey Leaf spot also caused some serious problems along the shores of Lake Erie. 

                If you have sprayed before but are discouraged by commodity prices this year, I would encourage you not to write it off yet.  Perhaps spray some, but not all of your acres – maybe spray the higher risk acres.  High risk acres would be corn-on-corn, high residue presence (minimum/no-till), hybrids with average or below average natural disease resistance scores.   

                When you think about it, spending $20-$30/acre (fungicide + application) is pretty cheap insurance, especially on a high risk year like this one.  I would say in most instances you would at least break even with a 7-10 bushel yield bump in corn/2-3 bushel yield bump in soybeans (or at least maintenance over what was lost to disease on the unsprayed acres).  Think of it more in terms of what can be lost as opposed to what can be gained. 

                What are the fungicide options? Below I outline the different options and their specific attributes:

 

Acapela: Same family as active ingredient in Headline, its claim to fame is its mobility in the plant, which most fungicides on the market do not have (until this year).  Has longer activity in the plant for this reason. For soybeans, this is the only product that has claims to reduce white mold activity (2 applications required).

 

Headline: First product on the market.  One active ingredient, going after pathogens present at time of application.  No translocation within plant, so shorter residual than Acapela. 

 

Priaxor: The new one from BASF to replace headline.  Has two active ingredients, good for resistance management.  One active is same as headline (immobile in plant), second active is new and able to translocate through leaf tissue.  Claims higher yield bump over Headline in corn and soybeans.

Proline: Has ability to reduce DON by 40-50%, and can have the yield kick with it.  I feel every hog farmer/livestock producer feeding their own crop should be spraying some of this product on their corn, as an insurance policy to at least minimize risk of moldy corn the animals won’t eat, or cause health and breeding issues.  Yield kick possibility is a bonus; if none, at least there is the DON/vomitoxin protection. Replacing corn that is high in vomitoxin is a much higher cost than protecting the crop with this fungicide. Smaller application window (must be sprayed on young silks, must make contact with silks). 

 

General application window for corn is about 2 weeks from silking to dry silks (accept Proline), and in soybeans is R2 (full flower).  R2 in soybeans is coming up quickly, and could already be at that stage in some fields this week!