Whether or not a fungicide application has a payback depends largely on management and expectations for the crop.
“If you grow 30 bushel wheat, the canopy isn’t dense enough to promote much disease,” said Phil Needham of Needham Ag Technologies in Calhoun, Kentucky.
He said the typical mid-range wheat crop doesn’t return enough money to justify fungicide. Such a crop is seldom limited by disease.
It has the basic yield limiting factors like moisture, nutrition, seed quality, weed control, insects or herbicide residue.
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“But if you’re growing 50 or 60 bushels or maybe 90 bushels, then all the rules change. You cannot achieve those high yield potentials unless you’ve first addressed all the basic yield limiting factors.
He said fungus occurs by creating a heavy crop stand.
“So not only does the fungicide pay for itself in this situation. Now it’s become essential if you expect to get the most out of your investment.”
However preventative applications of fungicide may not pay.
“It’s very clear from looking at five years of data that indiscriminate use of fungicides does not pay, at least here in the Indian Head area,” states Indian Head Agricultural Research Foundation research manager Chris Holzapfel.
IHARF has done 20 field scale trials since 2004 on field peas, spring wheat, barley, oats, canary seed and canola.
Yield response to all fungicide products was variable on all crops in the test.
“In years when a yield response did occur, the increase in profit ranged from zero all the way up to $100 per acre,” said Holzapfel.
“However, applying fungicide every year regardless of disease pressure or environmental conditions does not appear profitable.”
Timing of the application is critical to payback, said Needham.
If the timing isn’t right, the fungicide application is wasted and it’s often necessary to anticipate the problem in advance.
Needham said it’s a little easier with early season fungicides because problems, like tan spot, can be identified before it’s time for the regular herbicide application and can be combined with that application.
Problems like Fusarium head blight require early diagnosis and specific timing for treatment.
“I had a call this morning (Aug. 17) from a farmer up near Saskatoon,” said Needham.
“With all the rain you’ve had up there, you’re getting thick, heavy stands in some areas. Perfect for Fusarium. If he had read the signs, he might have gotten in there on time with a fungicide.”
Needham said growers shouldn’t expect 100 percent control, but suppression of 40 to 50 percent is realistic.
For more information, contact Chris Holzapfel at 306-695-4200 or Phil Needham at phil@needhamag.com.
