Planning Summer Fungicide

It may seem a little early to be thinking about fungicides with spring just getting underway, but it is time to start planning for summer fungicide applications. Most corn hybrids have a response to fungicide score (RTF). While we are preparing for planting, it is important to remember which hybrids are planted in each field in order to go back and look at each field with a high RTF score to be certain that we are getting these hybrids treated with a good fungicide.  We also need to remember the fields with a moderate to low RTF scores and scout them for disease pressure throughout the summer months and base decisions on findings in the field. 

Talk to your local SFG agronomist to discuss the RTF scores of the varieties that you are planting, and start preparing for summer applications of fungicides on your farm.  While applying these fungicides it may also be a good time to add foliar N or micros especially Boron, that may show up in late season tissue samples to pull the most out of each acre of your operation.

One final note - This week’s SFG Top Performance podcast featured Jay and Wes Sharp with Agritech Aviation. They provided a lot of good information on aerial application of fungicide. I found this to be a very educational discussion and feel that it would be interesting for all farmers to listen to. You can find our bi-weekly agronomy podcasts on our website, or by going to SFG Top Performance on YouTube.