You already have a lot to consider when deciding if a fungicide application will pay off in this year’s crop.1 With the right spray equipment, you can focus on the financials, knowing that you’re doing all you can to get the application part right.
As your corn crop reaches the growth stage and the treatment window opens for leaf and bacterial diseases, it’s important to carefully evaluate several factors before deciding to spray:2
- Consider the hybrid’s resistance to foliar disease.
- Know how to identify common diseases. This collaborative field guide is an excellent resource for the Upper Midwest. Or use this online guide from the University of Illinois.
- Check the forecast. Warm, humid conditions favor disease development.
- Crop rotation. Corn diseases are more prevalent in corn-on-corn.
Once you decide to spray, proper application becomes critical. Consult — and then follow — the product specimen label for the fungicide you plan to apply. Generally, product performance hinges on adequate coverage. This can be difficult, since the treatment window typically opens from tasseling to pollination. Spray equipment, nozzle selection and adequate spray volumes are important.
Case IH Patriot® series sprayers offer industry-leading high-clearance technology. In fact, the Patriot 2250 has the highest clearance in its class. Application features, including AutoBoom™ and AccuBoom, help you get the most from your crop protection inputs. Case IH Advanced Farming Systems (AFS) integrate planting, pesticide applications, harvest data and so much more. You can precision-apply fungicides according to hybrid disease resistance, and then track yields at harvest to measure results.
Talk to your Case IH dealer about how Patriot sprayers can give you the clearance you need to deliver the disease protection your crop needs to finish the season strong and achieve its full yield potential.
LEARN MORE HERE
Case IH AFS section and rate control
Brochure: AIM Command PRO™ spray technology
Sprayer nozzle selection
RESOURCES
1Wise K, Mueller D. Are Fungicides No Longer Just For Fungi? An Analysis of Foliar Fungicide Use in Corn. American Phytopathological Society website. http://www.apsnet.org/publications/apsnetfeatures/Pages/fungicide.aspx. Published 2011. Accessed July 8, 2016.
2Robertson A, Mueller D. Fungicide application to corn at tasseling. Iowa State University Agronomy website. http://www.agronext.iastate.edu/corn/showitem.php?id=50. Published July 11, 2007. Accessed July 8, 2016.