Soybean Fungicide

Post emergence corn is for the most part completed in the Central part of the SFG trade territory. The early planted corn is pushing V8 already and just about ready to shoot up. Most have hit the nitrogen and starting to look dark green. We are just about ready to cut loose on spraying a second pass of soybeans. I’m happy with how the residuals in soybeans have worked because there are some areas that it has been 7-8 weeks since they were sprayed the first time. Once the second pass of soybean is done the next step in chasing yield is fungicide applications. This year weather conditions are going to be a big driver in the fungicide decisions. Rain has been spotty and we are going to struggle in some areas if we don’t have more cooperative weather. Fungicides are an important tool to chase yield and reduce stress under drought conditions.

In soybeans our general recommendation is to put fungicide on every acre unless there is a large yield robbing factor going on already. We’ve tested soybeans for many years and average a 4-5 bushel increase and in some cases it’s closer to 10 bushel in certain fields. You only need 2-3 bushels to pay for the application so it’s a very good ROI on soybeans to add in fungicide to the program. In corn we are pickier about which fields to spray. Many companies test their corn for return on investment so make sure to check with seed suppliers to see how the hybrids measure up.

Also, fungicide helps slow down translocation of water throughout the plant during drought conditions. This leads to more water available to the plant and better drought resistance. It’s a fine line because it’s not a cure for a very drought prone field but can help push that corn the extra week or two until we catch a rain. High yielding fields are also always the best choice for fungicide applications. The best way to raise the bar is to take the good areas and push them. This takes an entire system change as higher yielding areas need more seed and fertilizer as well, but we can pick and choose these fields and raise yields. Talk to any of the SFG Agronomy staff about how fungicides can help the farm in 2023.