Sudden death syndrome on soybeans.

When it comes to determining the best time to plant, every grower has to weigh best practices against local conditions, like weather, that are unique to their situation. Take 2021, for example. Many Midwestern areas such as IL experienced unprecedented rain totals, prompting growers to try and beat the weather by planting earlier than normal.

While planting early is often the right call, it can open the door to some challenges, particularly from a disease standpoint. Getting corn and soybean crops in the ground sooner can give yield-robbing diseases that thrive in warm conditions a larger window to inflict damage.

Tar spot on corn.

This year in corn we’ve seen both the typical diseases like gray leaf spot, and more alarmingly, higher instances of tar spot. First documented in the United States in 2015, tar spot is a relatively new disease but 1 that is increasingly worth your time. Tar spot can overwinter, and if the inoculum is present in fields, the disease is more likely to establish itself on early-planted corn and can reduce yields by as much as 20-60 bushels.

In soybeans, dangerous seedling diseases like Pythium and Phytophthora become even more of a risk when crops are planted early, a trend we observed in 2021. Additionally, there were higher instances of sudden death syndrome (SDS) in many soybean fields. Seed treatment usage and variety choice can also impact a field’s SDS risk, which can ultimately result in yield losses of up to 40%, particularly when symptoms develop early.

There are a few products we recommend to mitigate the disease risks that come with early planting. In corn, Trivapro^® fungicide fits easily into fungicide programs and provides preventive and curative control of rusts, leaf spots and blights. As an added bonus, Trivapro has excellent plant-health benefits and helps boost corn potential yield under high or low disease pressure. To find out how much more yield you could be harvesting with Trivapro, visit our Yield Calculator.

In soybeans, a proactive approach with Saltro^® fungicide seed treatment is a good option. Saltro brings superior SDS protection without the stress, helping soybeans maximize their full genetic yield potential.

With the help of a proven fungicide, early planted fields can withstand disease pressure and deliver for growers at harvest.

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Product performance assumes disease presence.