6 Keys to Success Using Biofungicides on Your Fruit Crops

This is an exciting time in the biological industry. With many new and augmented solutions coming to market, many companies are joining the biological marketplace. However, the sheer number of product options can be overwhelming. But using biofungicides does not have to be complicated — you can make significant headway just by considering the following six steps.

Understand Your System – Are you a conventional grower wanting to integrate biologicals in your rotation, or are you considering trying to go fully biological? Are you located in a dry region where disease has less impact, or do you farm where disease pressure is more severe? This understanding will help you determine the best approach. As a conventional grower, you might choose to use biologicals as part of your integrated pest management (IPM) program to protect your single-site mode of action (MOA) products from resistance. As a grower who has more heavily incorporated biologicals into your operation, you will need to consider your overall disease pressure and determine how aggressive you want your bio IPM to be.

Consistency is Key – Being consistent and proactive are surefire ways to help you get the most bang for your buck when it comes to biological crop protection. While some biofungicides are curative, most are preventative. This means knowing your disease pressures and getting out in front of them at a regular cadence — both month-to-month and year-to-year — can make your fungicide applications work more effectively for you. Get familiar with the labels, consult your agronomist, make your plan, and then stick to it to help maximize your investment.

Timing – Because most biologicals are preventive, being thoughtful about the timing of your applications is one of the most important steps you can take to be successful. Plan your season and have product on hand when you need it, either by storing it yourself or by working with your local retailer. Utilize disease models and other data-driven information from your local Extension agents or PCAs to anticipate when conditions will favor disease, so you can time your applications to help achieve maximum effect.

Mix Your Modes of Action – Just as with conventional applications, mixing your MOAs help manage resistance and improve crop protection performance. Review which biofungicide MOAs are available to you and how they can replace or supplement other MOAs in your IPM program. Because many biologicals have multiple MOAs, they can be excellent tools to relieve increasing regulatory pressure on conventional protectant chemistries.

Evaluate Performance – With the rapid increase in new biofungicide products and biofungicide suppliers, it is increasingly important to choose a product that shows robust datasets proving efficacy and high win rates against the most prevalent diseases in your area. Has the product been tested across multiple years? In multiple weather, soil, and growing environments? In multiple IPM programs? Look to trusted university or extension resources for this information. Be a good trial steward on your acres, as well. Every operation is unique, and the most valuable data to your farm is that data that is unique to your own location. Be diligent in your data collection and rely on your trusted agronomic advisors to support you in doing so.

Utilize Your Trusted Experts – Running an operation, you have a myriad of jobs to do. This is the perfect time to rely on your trusted agronomic experts and ask them to help you with the legwork of investigating best-fit biofungicide solutions for your farm. It’s their job monitor the market and help provide you with a clear view of the options available to you — let them know about your curiosity around biological products and have them help you implement best practices and trialing on your operation, followed by data review and analysis support.

Biological adoption is growing — and for a good reason. Biological products use nature’s solutions to help overcome nature’s challenges, ultimately enabling farmers to better manage resistance and produce healthier, more robust crops. New to biofungicides and interested in learning more? Reach out to your trusted agronomic advisor today. Already using them? Ask that same trusted advisor to help you optimize your usage for the upcoming season so you can best reap all the great benefits biofungicides can provide.