Customized Disease Programs Provide Yield And Quality Advantages
June 7, 2013 Editor’s Note: This article was provided by DuPont Crop Protection.
With severe drought conditions, 2012 was a particularly difficult year for vegetable growers. Good practices go a long way toward protecting crops and profits even with unpredictable weather conditions. And customized disease management programs are a great first step toward optimizing production and enhancing return on investment.
Prevention Is Key
“The first step to a successful disease management program is prevention,� says Kelly Ivors, Ph.D., Extension plant pathologist at North Carolina State University’s Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center. “Fungi and bacteria can be serious limitations in commercial production of fruiting vegetable and cucurbit crops. Some diseases, such as bacterial spot or bacterial wilt, cripple a field and cannot be controlled once a crop is infested. Preventive measures continue to be the best line of defense for fighting fungal diseases and keeping fields and crops as healthy as possible,� explains Ivors.
Recently introduced fungicides are making it easier to treat certain infestations in susceptible fields. Your local Extension office or other crop consultant can provide updates on new products and detailed recommendations for your region and crop mix.
Build A Customized Program
No two fields are the same, and neither are any two disease-management plans. When building a program for 2013, think about which diseases are most likely to affect your crops this season. Field history is usually a good place to start.
“If you faced a particular soil-borne disease in 2012, you have a pretty good chance of seeing it again this year,� says Ivors. “Scout carefully, and make notes on which diseases you have seen, where they were a problem and when they appeared, to help predict future disease issues.�
Start with this checklist of diseases that concern you most. Then consult your advisors to find the best crop protection options for you, based on control needs, regional risks, and the flexibility your operation requires.
Be Prepared For The Unexpected
“In season, it may appear that conditions are not conducive for disease development, but it is important to continue scouting vegetable crops closely,� Ivors advises. Even with healthy transplants and early treatments, signs of initial infection are sometimes subtle until the disease eventually expands and becomes a bigger problem that is much harder to manage.
“For example, last year a large squash grower in southern Georgia was thrown off guard by warm, moist weather conditions but no significant rainfall,� explains Bond McInnes, fungicide technical manager, DuPont Crop Protection. “He wasn’t scouting for foliar diseases, but the warm, humid weather was actually conducive to powdery mildew.
“The best way to avoid fungal disease is to use preventive measures. But if you get behind or get surprised by anything, you need to have a backup plan,� adds McInnes.
One way to manage those disease control needs became available to growers in 2012. Fontelis, a fungicide from DuPont, delivers both preventive and curative activity with broad-spectrum coverage for fast-acting and long-lasting protection. With a single active ingredient, Fontelis can be partnered with other targeted crop protection products.
“The flexible label allows growers to customize their disease management programs,� McInnes explains. “And because of the broad-spectrum control it offers on a number of yield-robbing diseases, growers know they will get control of a wide range of diseases.�
Disease resistance continues to affect fruiting vegetable crops across the country. However, new technologies and control methods are making resistance easier to manage. Kelly Ivors, Ph.D., plant pathologist at North Carolina State University’s Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center offers tips on preventing disease while managing resistance in vegetable crops this year.
Â
Subscribe Today For
