Fungicide Application
Jun 21, 2019
3 Reasons to consider foliar Fungicides
Applying foliar fungicides not only provides disease control, but also provide additional Plant Health benefits like growth efficiency and stress tolerance. By helping plants stay greener, healthier, and more productive throughout the growing season, growers can see more consistent yield improvements. Here are three reasons why your customers should plan for a foliar fungicide application, even under low disease pressure.
1. Foliar fungicides are most effective when applied before disease infection
Most growers apply a fungicide only after they see disease symptomology. A common disease corn growers may face, for example, is gray leaf spot. Symptomology for this disease occurs about 12 days after initial infection of the plant. During this period, no disease symptoms are present. However, fungal infection continues to grow and draw resources from the plant. This makes it even more important to apply a foliar fungicide proactively to prevent the spread of the disease onto the upper canopy leaves.
To get the greatest disease control and yield potential, it’s important to apply fungicides preventively, before fungal symptoms appear.
2. Applications of foliar fungicides provide increased stress tolerance
Stress to corn is caused by two primary factors: foliar diseases and adverse weather. Foliar fungicides decrease stress during pollination and grain fill by controlling foliar diseases, reducing ethylene (a plant hormone) production, and reducing oxidative stress caused by cell-damaging molecules like reactive oxygen species (ROS) that increase in response to stress factors and inhibit plant growth.
3. Fungicides can help plants grow more efficiently
The application of fungicides improve plant growth efficiency by increasing nitrogen assimilation and photosynthesis. For a plant to photosynthesize, it needs water, carbon dioxide and light.
These three components are then converted into sugars, which the plant uses for growth and grain production. By applying fungicide, you see increased root growth for more water uptake and promoted nitrogen assimilation, which ultimately results in greater photosynthetic activity.
MasterLock adjuvant hits the spot
Aerial applications of Fungicides use less water, which adds to the challenge of getting crop protection products where you want them. In 14 studies at Answer Plot® locations in eight states between 2012 and 2017, adding MasterLock® adjuvant to the spray tank increased corn yields by an average of 5.7 bushels per acre compared to fungicide alone.
Specifically created to enhance the performance of fungicides and insecticides in mid- to late postemergence applications to corn and soybeans, MasterLock offers a range of benefits:
· Improved spray deposition
· Increased canopy penetration
· Enhanced adhesion, reduced bounce and increased coverage because droplets stick and spread
· Reduced spray drift and pesticide evaporation
MasterLock is also not formulated with NPE, which has been linked to Arrested Ear Syndrome in corn, mostly when applied during vegetative growth stages.
A hybrid of InterLock® adjuvant and DropTight® additive, MasterLock helps eliminate fines by driving droplets down into the canopy, which enables droplets to hit and stick to the leaf.
To control diseases and insects that live below the canopy, MasterLock enhances deposition to deliver fungicides and insecticides lower into the canopy for improved coverage of the plant. In numerous research trials, MasterLock has been shown to decrease the incidence of infection from diseases and help improve insect control with insecticides.
Make sure that if fungicide is on your expense sheet this year that you get the full ROI out of it by adding an adjuvant to the tank. Talk with your local trusted advisor about including MasterLock in your late-season application plans.
Always read and follow label instructions. Product descriptions and ratings are generated from Answer Plot® trials and/or from the genetics supplier and may change as additional data is gathered. These ratings also reflect trends in product performance during research trials that are dependent upon many factors beyond the control of WinField United including without limitation, weather, soil types, disease pressure, crop production patterns and other uncontrollable factors.
Mark Glady, WinField United Agronomist
(Five Star Coop Eastern Region Trail Photo)
