“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Ben Franklin may have been talking about fire prevention when he penned this phrase, but his advice also rings true for other applications…

Including with foliar fungicide applications. 

An ounce of fungicide (or maybe more. It all depends on the product. This “ounce” is figurative. Be sure to read the label.) is often the answer to prevent yield-robbing fungi from ravaging your corn and soybean fields.

And ravage they will. From gray leaf spot to northern corn leaf blight, and soybean rust to anthracnose, fungal foliar crop diseases can have a significant impact on yield potential. But the right products and (perhaps most importantly) the right timing can set you up for a bumper crop this fall.

To Apply or Not to Apply: That is the Question

Pop quiz: What’s the most important factor to consider in fungicide application decisions?

Answer? ROI.

Applying products must make cents (and dollars). Consider the fungicide response associated with various LG Seeds hybrids and varieties, as well as the cost of the fungicide. And don’t worry: your LG Seeds agronomist will be by your side during those decisions.

You should also look at the type of disease—and whether its threshold warrants an application. Will the disease's presence significantly impact your yield?

That’s a tough one because fungicides are most effective when applied BEFORE diseases appear. And honestly, some diseases are more of a nuisance than a real problem.

But that’s where scouting and risk assessment comes into play. Get out into your fields and see what level (and type) of pressure you see. Furthermore, understand your risk factors—minimal tillage, continuous crops (no rotation), high crop residue, and certain weather conditions can all increase disease pressure.

Ready to Roll: What to Consider

So you’ve worked with your LG Seeds agronomist and determined that fungicide application is a good idea. Now what?

Pop quiz #2: What’s the most important factor to consider when going out to apply a fungicide?

Answer? Timing. Timing is EVERYTHING.

First off, check in with Mother Nature. Current and future weather conditions have a major impact on disease growth and a fungicide application’s effectiveness. (Quick note: Our Advantage Acre® field management tool is a great resource to help plan for upcoming weather patterns.)

Along with understanding weather timing, make sure to get in the fields when your crops are at the proper growth stage.

The “right” stage for applications could vary depending on the disease you’re targeting, but in general, hitting your soybeans in that R3-R5 range will usually give the most bang for your buck.

How about corn? Applying a product in the VT-R1 range historically results in the best ROI if you plan on a single application. But if you plan to roll out more than once, it can be a good investment to help out your corn in the V5-V6 stages, or even after pollen shed.

Just keep this in mind: many fungicides are effective for about three weeks. After that, there’s little residual effect.

Remember: applications should be viewed as yield protection, not yield enhancement.

Built For How You Grow

When it comes to foliar fungicide applications, there are a lot of decisions to make. And as your reliable partner in the field, LG Seeds is here to help. From selecting the best hybrids and varieties for each field on your farm to analyzing field history and recommending which fungicides to use, your LG Seeds agronomist will be right by your side—no nonsense, no excuses.