Fungicides for Corn Yield Kick, Yeah No

ifr180706–172
Fungicides for Corn Yield Kick, Yeah No
Nathan Kleczewski, Extension Plant Pathologist - University of Illinois

Farmers are always under pressure to spend more money to protect their crop from insect pests and diseases. Todd Gleason has one more thing they probably shouldn’t use.

In the case of fungicides corn producers…
1:07 radio
1:17 radio self-contained

In the case of fungicides corn producers will hear about the potential for yield increases. The odds are against that says University of Illinois Extension Plant Pathologist Nathan Kleczewski (kleh-cheh-ski).

Kleczewski :38 …save yourself the money. That’s kind of my thought.

Quote Summary - It is not consistent. You are probably less than 30% of the time that you are going to see anything. And as I have mentioned in some of my talks and some my posts, your may reason to apply a fungicide should be to prevent disease and that is when you are going to see the most benefit. If you are applying it thinking that maybe 30% of the time you’ll get two-bushels, that’s a pretty big gamble especially at today’s commodity prices. My thought is if you need it because you have a lot of disease then use it. If you don’t think you are going to have disease then don’t use it and save yourself the money. That’s kind of my thought.

Nathan Kleczewski is a plant pathologist for University of Illinois Extension. You may read more from him online at bulletin.ipm.illinois.edu or just look for @ILPlantDoc on twitter.