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Farmers face late season disease pressure

A regional technical manager with FMC Corporation says many farmers in the Midwest are facing late season disease pressure in soybeans.

Gail Stratman says frogeye leaf spot continues to expand into the Corn Belt.

“Growers are going to have to become more cognizant and more knowledgeable about this disease because it can be fairly devastating to yield potential in soybeans,” he says. “As we look forward we’re really going to see the need for some of these later season fungicide applications to help manage that disease”

He tells Brownfield farmers should scout fields and consider a late-season fungicide application in both corn and soybeans.

“It’s maintaining that plant factory late in the season that helps you fill those upper pods on the plant and that makes sure you fill that ear all the way out to the tip,” he says. “Some of those things are related to the health of that plant all the way to the end of the growing season and making sure that crop diseases don’t cause the plant to mature prematurely.”

Stratman spoke to Brownfield at an FMC Corporation field day in central Indiana.

He also provided an update on the new Lucento fungicide that will be available to growers next year.

Audio: Gail Stratman, FMC Corporation