Ontario Diagnostic Day 6: Hitting your target with sprayer applications

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It’s time for Day 6 of the virtual Ontario Diagnostic Days!

This week we’ll look at effective sprayer applications with a focus on fungicides. We’ll call on Ontario researchers and extension specialists to tackle everything from identifying disease and selecting control products to evaluating spray coverage and choosing the right application method.

The line-up includes Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs field crops pathologist Albert Tenuta and application technology specialist Jason Deveau. We’re also joined by University of Guelph associate professor Dave Hooker.

Here’s a look at the line-up for Episode 6:

  • We get things started with Hooker. He takes a look at 20 years of spraying research and technology, and discuss how this work has enabled researchers and growers to better control diseases such as fusarium head blight in wheat.
  • We then travel with Tenuta through corn research plots to learn how best to select fungicides to control diseases such as northern corn leaf blight.  He shares corn fungicide efficacy trial results and best management practices to help ensure optimum return on fungicide investment.
  • Tenuta returns in segment three to share pre-harvest tips on how to assess cornfields for gibberella and other ear rots.
  • Next up, we’re joined by Deveau and a host of assistants who help us understand spray droplet behaviour and how droplet size and application method play a key role in hitting your spray target.
  • We then return to Tenuta’s disease research plots for tips on how to identify and manage grey leaf spot in corn.
  • The episode wraps up with Deveau and Hooker joining forces to evaluate spray application performance: they look at everything from aerial application to ground rigs and share their results and recommendations.

Ontario Diagnostic Days are brought to you by OMAFRA, University of Guelph and the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association with sponsorship support from the following organizations: Grain Farmers of Ontario, Agris Co-operative, BASF, Bayer/Dekalb, Corteva/Pioneer, Great Lakes Grain, The Mosaic Company, RealAgriculture, and Syngenta.

The virtual video series gives the OMAFRA field crop team and research colleagues from the University of Guelph an opportunity to deliver diagnostic insights in a new way, sharing what attendees have come to expect from Diagnostic Days.

The virtual diagnostic series was launched after COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the popular Diagnostic Days held each July at Ridgetown, Elora, and Winchester, Ont.

The series consists of eight, one-hour episodes. A new episode is published every two weeks, Wednesdays at 9 am Eastern through to October 21, 2020. Each episode will highlight a general field crop agronomic theme and will be available here on RealAgriculture for viewing, as well as the OMAFRA Field Crop News website. All episodes will also be available in our main podcast feed.

Historically, these in-person diagnostic days have provided some of the best opportunities for certified crop advisors (CCAs) to acquire a broad range of CEUs.

Certified crop advisors are able to collect eight CEUs by registering for the event at: https://bdc.ridgetownc.com/useservices/conferencemanagement/southwest-crop-diagnostic-days/.

Registration is required for processing CEU credit requests and can be done up to December 1, 2020. A CEU code will be provided on screen at various points during each episode.

The videos are free and registration is not required for Grain Farmers of Ontario members, media, and those not seeking CEU credits.

Registration Fees  — Only required if applying for CEU Credits

·      $100 (includes HST) for eight CEU credits. A receipt/confirmation email will be provided.

The next Diagnostic Day will focus on sprayer application, and will be published October 7, 2020.

 

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