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Seed companies are learning more about tar spot

A seed company spokesman says the industry is learning more about tar spot and how individual corn varieties are impacted by the disease.

Tony Moellers with Brevant Seeds tells Brownfield when the foliar disease started showing up a few years ago, they teamed up with Corteva to measure the impact on yield and plant health, and their data is helping farmers battle tar spot. “We’re at the point now where we’ve got some protocols in place. We’ve got testing in place to be able to characterize how well our products are doing and give them effective ratings so growers can feel confident in the ratings on the products they’re choosing.”

Moellers says farmers should be prepared to spray a fungicide at the right time to help the crop’s standability and minimize yield losses. “If we get into the summer months and the fall months next year and tar spot shows up, be prepared to make those fungicide applications and manage accordingly for this disease.”

Moellers says 2022 was a year where tar spot reports were hit-and-miss, with fewer hotspots than growers had a year ago.