A good fungicide application is all about getting the active ingredient where it needs to be at the right time to prevent disease.
That can be a challenge in lentils, especially when conditions have been conducive for thick canopy growth, as is the case in parts of Western Canada this summer.
“We’re looking for ways of getting through some very dense canopies now. It’s going to be especially challenging for lentils,” notes Tom Wolf, spray application specialist with AgriMetrix, in this Pulse School episode.
With vast pulse acres on the prairies this summer — most of them contracted at high prices — and at least adequate moisture, fungicide efficacy could be critical for protecting yields from disease in the coming weeks.
For lentils, Tom suggests spraying earlier if possible, using fungicides with longer windows of post-application action.
It’s challenging to penetrate a lentil canopy after it’s closed, but he recommends using smaller droplets and large water volumes: “There’s really no substitute for adequate or large water volumes. We’re talking at least 15 gallons per acre.”
Canopy closure doesn’t pose the same challenge in peas, with their “more open architecture,” but he says some of the same concepts apply.
“Try to not drive too fast. Faster travel speeds tend to make it more difficult for spray to get through. Probably making the spray a little finer, and again, the water. Water is your number one tool.”
Tom Wolf shares tips for effective fungicide application in pulses:
Related Pulse School episodes:
- Pulse School: Diseases, Root Rots and Wet Conditions
- Pulse School: Nutrient Deficiencies and Wet Feet
- Pulse School: Managing Ascochyta Blight in Field Peas
- Pulse School: Disease Triangle a Helpful Tool In Making Fungicide Decisions
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