1. Although some fungicides do have nominal curative activity, they work best as protectants (which means they must be applied before the disease hits). We have had excellent rainfall as the crop approached tassel (an excellent stage to apply a fungicide) and the crop is, overall, in good shape, so a fungicide would be insurance to protect good yield potential. I would think of a corn fungicide in the same way we think about our home insurance. When our house does not burn down, we do not think, “Well, I wasted my money on home insurance.” No, we are thankful we still have a home.
2. Fungicides will help maintain plant health and improve standability. A fungicide can add several weeks of standability that could increase yield, even in the absence of disease, due to harvest efficiency and speeding up harvest.
3. Fungicide applications give growers the opportunity to piggyback a high rate of pyrethroid in the tank mix to help control stinkbugs. Stinkbugs are difficult to scout for in corn and are often doing more damage than growers realize. They can impact yield and grain quality. A pyrethroid application would also benefit cotton and soybeans because as corn reaches brown silk, stinkbugs will migrate to other crops. Dr. Katelyn Kesheimer, Alabama Extension entomologist, and I discuss stinkbug damage and control in corn at On The Farm in Alabama at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPLAq2nx4eA
4. Fungicide applications also give us the option of adding boron to the tank mix. While boron is very mobile in the soil, it is not very mobile in the plant so a foliar boron application can be good insurance. Boron is essential for germination of pollen grains and growth of pollen tubes as well as for seed and cell wall formation. It also forms sugar/borate complexes associated with sugar translocation and is important in protein formation. A fungicide application at tasseling gives growers an excellent opportunity to add a 0.25 pound per acre of actual boron (one quart per acre of a liquid 10% boron or 1.25 pounds per acre of a 20% solubor product).

On this episode of the Alabama Crops Report, hosts Adam Rabinowitz and Katelyn Kesheimer sit down with Wendiam Sawadgo, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System economist. As harvest is right around the corner, crop producers need to start making preharvest marketing plans. Sawadgo and the group talk about the ins and outs of these types of plans.

In addition to this podcast, Alabama Extension recently launched AgMarketing: Row Crops, a free online course that talks more about strategies for marketing row crops. Enroll in this online course at https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/farm-management/agmarketing-row-crops/.

For roses this month, be sure to keep the roses healthy and actively growing. Now is also the time to apply fertilizer. Wash off the foliage if any fertilizer falls on the plants to prevent burning.