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The fungicide debate--and the diseases that warrant it
By David G. Hallauer District Extension Agent Crops & Soils/Horticulture To spray or not to spray? It's the $25 an acre question of the week as corn is tasseling all across Northeast Kansas. In this little bit of space, we'll try to outline your considerations as to whether a fungicide application is warranted or not. Start where you should always start: In the field. Are leaves showing damage symptoms? Where symptoms are showing up? What stage is the corn in? These are all questions that producers should answer before making any decisions. What are the diseases I'm looking for? Only fungal diseases will be affected by a fungicide. Viral diseases will not, so focus on those that you can do something to prevent or remove. Gray leaf spot, a disease we haven't regularly treated for here in NEK, has been rampant in some fields this year. Most of our varieties have some level of tolerance, but wet and humid weather each day is prime for its spread. Common Rust isn't typically a problem, other than it looks bad. Treatment usually isn't necessary. Southern Rust, on the other hand, CAN do some real damage and almost always requires a fungicide application. Can I expect a return on my investment? The age old question of profitable or not needs to drive your decision making process. Application costs vary but $25/A is a good yield recovery goal to shoot for. In some cases, that doesn't translate to many bushels (at least at today's solid prices). Fungicides may also be looked at as an insurance policy - you don't expect to collect on it every year, but over time, it should pay for itself. KSU trials at this point don't definitively show whether producers should apply a fungicide or not. Illinois data indicates an average of just over 6 bushels per acre return from a fungicide application made even in the absence of disease. That's maybe breakeven in most budgets. Just three of 10 trials showed an economic return to a fungicide application. Even then, we can't seem to predict the three years in which those applications would be needed. In the mean time, it's a good time to be checking out corn fields. Identify disease symptoms, then consult scouting guidelines for treatment decisions. Contact your District Office if you have any questions.
Mulch around trees We use mulch for a lot of things: Tree bark protection from mowers and less grass under trees to mow. And for new transplants, KSU researchers seem to have found another benefit. Scientists noted for years that transplanting trees into a grassy area seems to hinder tree growth. Sure enough, under strict research conditions, the grasses really did make a difference. A lot. Researchers found the trees in the no-grass plots were well ahead by the end of the second summer after being transplanted. They were about 50 percent larger than those growing in bermudagrass and twice as large as those in fescue or bluegrass. Further, the no-grass trees ´ average leaf area was about 200 percent bigger than the grassy plots' typical tree canopy. When mulching, do so with a 3 to 4 inch deep mat of old straw, hay, corn cobs, or wood chips approximately 12 to 18 inches around the seedling. Remember to leave a small gap (approximately 1 inch) between the mulch and the stem of the seedling. Placing the mulch directly against the stem can create rot, harbor insects and diseases, and create other problems due to the increased moisture held by the mulch. The gap allows the stem to remain dry but still allows the mulch to create the desirable effects wanted.
0 None Date: 7/26/07
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