We will have a fair amount of corn tasseling shortly after the weekend – so fungicide application season is about here.
In talking with farmers and retailers the last week or so, based on all the rainfall and wet soils this is shaping up to be a big year for fungicide applications, so just a few thoughts for guys “on the fence” and trying to decide whether to spray or not.
In soybeans, we are still pretty early, not much disease yet; and we are a little ways off from late R2/R3 when it is the ideal time to put on fungicides to protect soybeans during the critical pod filling growth stages and maximize yield responses. So keep scouting soybeans for diseases; if things look good, delay applications until later. If there is a risk for white mold, refer to the article posted last week addressing white mold. With all of the moisture we have seen in 2014, this certainly increases the chances of more diseases. See the Iowa Soybean Association Newsletter article for more information on rainfall and yield responses to foliar fungicides in soybean. There is also a correlation between yield responses and rainfall during July and August (Figure 1).
