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Weather, late planting might lead to more crop diseases

A University of Wisconsin crop pathologist says farmers might see more plant disease problems than usual this growing season.
Dr. Damon Smith tells Brownfield, “These corn plants are going to be in a little more susceptible stage when we start to see some of these diseases show up.”

Smith says he doesn’t want farmers to be alarmed, but he says the way the wet weather and the late planting have impacted 2019 so far, it will be wise to do more scouting more often. “I think we’ve got to pay attention to some things, especially at some really critical times where we make some decisions about in-season management such as fungicide applications.”

Smith says scouting can be time-consuming, but he says it’s a cheap investment that can help growers make well-informed management decisions as the season goes on.