If conditions are conducive to disease development, pulling the trigger on a fungicide application is easy. But if it’s dry, or the crop isn’t looking like a bin-buster, how do you make sure that fungicide application is really worth it?
The first step, as explained by Glen Forster, with BASF, in the video below, is to first brush up on your agronomy. A little homework on disease threats and life cycles can go a long way in anticipating what part of the plant to protect and at what time. That’s a key point, because fungicides aren’t curative — they work to prevent the disease from spreading or impacting the plant, but that means the product must be there before the disease is well established. Timing is key!
Related: Making the fusarium head blight spray decision
From there, Forster moves on to achieving the required coverage to make a fungicide application pay. Even the right fungicide at the right time can be rendered rather useless if you don’t achieve the coverage necessary to protect the plant. Why does water volume matter so much? Check out the visuals below.
We can’t talk coverage without talking nozzles of course, and Forster goes over some of the key details that can make your existing nozzles more effective if you’re not in the market for new equipment. And, finally, if you’ve made the decision that a fungicide is necessary, don’t be penny wise and pound foolish; use the best product possible, he says. More in the video below!
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