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If weather predictions are correct, Western Canadian farmers could be looking at another dry growing season. The past two years have followed a familiar pattern: low moisture reserves at seeding, extended hot spells and not much relief until harvest. In conditions like these, farming requires a healthy dose of optimism and careful crop management.
In cereals, some farmers may see a false silver lining in those dry conditions. Specifically, the conventional wisdom is that cereal crop disease is most likely to occur in humid, hot weather. So, growers may conclude they can skip a fungicide application if the weather remains dry. The truth is that cereal disease can break out at any time. And by the time it does, it may be too late to manage the problem with a fungicide application.
“Fungicides are preventative, not curative,” says Kate Hadley, customer solutions lead – inside, for Bayer in Saskatchewan. “It’s always good practice to plan for a fungicide application.”
Check your cereal crop early and often
Growers should check early and often for signs of disease, beginning at stem elongation through to flag leaf emergence. Check the third leaf from the head. Be sure to look closely at the lower part of the canopy for signs of rust, leaf spot, powdery mildew, and fusarium head blight. If there are no signs of disease, you may be in the clear. But if even a few of those leaves show symptoms, your cereal crop may be at risk. Plan for a fungicide treatment prior to head emergence.
Learn about local cereal disease history and fungicide performance
For the past 17 years, Bayer has run field-scale, farmer-run trials comparing its products to competitors. There are hundreds of test site results available online at: Itpaystospray.ca. Comb through that data to learn more about the most likely disease challenges and best treatment options in your area.
Kate Hadley explains, “Our purpose with these trials is to give farmers local information relevant to their specific growing conditions and practices. We post our trial results whether we win, lose or tie. We try to share as much as we can about our products and what’s working in growers’ local areas.”
Hadley has run Saskatchewan cereal trials for six years now. One thing she has noticed is that there appears to be an advantage to applying a cereal fungicide – even in dry conditions.
“Even in dry years like 2022 and 2023 we noticed a yield bump of five bushels or so,” Hadley notes. “You’re definitely making a few dollars over untreated with a fungicide application. Even if you have a great crop rotation, you can still expect some inoculum such as fusarium.”
A timely fungicide application can also enhance photosynthetic activity, which can boost yield. “A fungicide application can help the crop perk up a bit, help it use water more efficiently and stay a bit greener,” she observes. By keeping the crop greener longer, those plants may perform better during grain fill. Hadley adds, “Malt barley growers should always count on a fungicide application, considering their investment and malt barley premiums.”
Make your cereal fungicide treatment count with Prosaro PRO
No matter what the weather, more and more growers count on Prosaro® PRO fungicide. It’s the first foliar fungicide registered in Canada to deliver ergot, fusarium head blight and leaf disease including blotch (glume, leaf, net, spot), rusts (leaf, stem, stripe) and tan spot protection in wheat, barley, oats and triticale. With three powerful active ingredients: prothioconazole (Group 3), tebuconazole (Group 3) and fluopyram (Group 7), Prosaro PRO provides exceptional protection – even in high-pressure disease situations.
Are dry growing seasons the new normal? No one knows for sure. But if rain is a scarce commodity this year, it will still pay you to check your cereal crop carefully and often for signs of disease. To protect your cereal crop’s yield potential and quality, plan to apply Prosaro PRO fungicide.
