June 28, 2017 | Kris Cherewyk
Importance of Crop Staging in Fungicide Application
As we move into summer, crops are continuing to advance across the prairies. The combination of moisture, heat and sunlight have helped crops through their early stages as producers wrap up their herbicide application. Soon crops will be reaching the stage where it will be time to apply fungicides. The decision whether to spray fungicide can be a tricky one because, unlike weeds, crops need to be sprayed before disease is visible or it will be too late. Weather also plays an important role as hot, dry conditions are negative to disease development. Nonetheless, fungicide application is an important management tool in helping to achieve high yielding, quality crops as disease, when left unchecked, can cause severe problems in these areas. As producers are well aware, fungicide application comes at a substantial cost and it is very important to ensure it is being done properly to maximize return on investment. Seed Hawk’s patented opener and metering technology with precision seed-to-fertilizer placement allows for even maturity of the crop. For a fungicide application to be most effective, it is critical that the crop is at the same stage across the field. For example, when spraying for Fusarium Head Blight in wheat, the stage in which fungicide is most effective is a very narrow window timing-wise:
The importance of even staging in regards to fungicide application further illustrates the importance of good seeding practices. We cannot control the weather but we can control how we give our crops the best possible chance to succeed and this is where a Seed Hawk drill, with its precision fertilizer placement, can help.