Genetics and fungicides are the two pillars of disease defence when it comes to yield robbers like tar spot. But weather and technology also play a key role in helping growers defend their crops against the foliar disease. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Corn School, Ontario Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Agribusiness pathologist Albert… Read More

When growers discover soybean cyst nematode (SCN) in their fields, sudden death syndrome (SDS) may not be far behind. Those nematodes act as an enabler for SDS by creating an entry point for the disease pathogen to enter roots and infect the plant. That’s why it’s important for growers to employ an integrated management program… Read More

Field research shows that the best time to tackle tar spot with a fungicide is the VT/RI stage of corn development — when the tassel is visible and silks are emerging. That’s the case again this year, says Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness plant pathologist Albert Tenuta. He’s been testing fungicide treatments to… Read More

Planting across Ontario is nearing completion in many regions, but excessive rain continues to stall progress in some areas, leaving farmers to contemplate switching intended corn acres to soybeans. It’s a decision that has significant cropping implications, says RealAgriculture agronomist Peter Johnson, and he wants growers to look at all the potential impacts before making… Read More

In recent years, many corn growers in Ontario have wrestled with gibberella ear rot in the crop and the high levels of deoxynivalenol (DON) levels it can produce in the grain. It’s made for stressful harvest seasons, especially in 2018 when mycotoxins produced by the gibberella fungus in some fields climbed well above safe feeding… Read More

Tar spot was a little late arriving in Ontario cornfields in 2023, but the leaf disease ramped up post tasseling, and with an extended fall, took a late-season bite out of grain yields in southwestern areas of the province. Growers who sprayed fungicides to defend their crop against disease were rewarded with higher yields, reports… Read More

Tar spot leaf disease has been a little tardy in 2023, but the later-arriving yield robber is still having an impact on the Ontario corn crop. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plant pathologist Albert Tenuta says a dry start to the growing year meant tar spot arrived a little late in 2023… Read More

When heavy summer rains arrive, Albert Tenuta’s phone starts to ring. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plant pathologist started hearing from growers across the province in late June as soil-borne disease moved into many soybean fields after a series of pounding rain events. When soybeans get wet feet in early summer,… Read More