The best time to apply fungicide for optimal Plant Health
Published on June 10, 2024
The best results and highest yield responses with BASF Plant Health products have been with applications that have been applied from VT (last tassel branch fully extended) to R2 (blister stages). Applications can be beneficial all the way till mid dough (R4) but the yield response decreases the longer we wait. The chart below demonstrates the optimum timing window for application.
A BASF fungicide can be applied at essentially anytime during the corn lifecycle, as long as the application is made before the appropriate pre harvest interval For example, 21 days for Veltyma® in field corn. However, years of BASF research has determined that the plant health yield response curve for foliar fungicide applications generally peaks around full tassel (VT) through blister (R2). The graph below shows the gradual increase in yield response until you reach the VT corn stage. This is the response we would anticipate in a normal year, but it could vary based on seasonal differences and hybrids. For example, in situations where disease infection occurs earlier than normal, we may anticipate that the curve may shift a bit to the left meaning that fungicide applications may need to be sprayed earlier.
If I don't have any disease should I wait to spray?
We frequently get asked this question. This question stems from the idea that if the disease doesn’t come in for a 2-4 weeks after tassel then we don’t want to run out of residual from our fungicide application. However, the plant needs protection most during reproductive phases. So, regardless of disease pressure the highest yield response with Plant Health fungicides from BASF is when they are applied VT-R2. You can apply later and will still see a positive yield response, especially if disease comes in later, but it will not be as high. If you want the best yield results treat sooner than later when the plant is most vulnerable to stress.
Why not wait for Brown Silk?
Since the launch BASF Plant Health products in corn, many growers have wanted to wait until brown silk to spray fungicides because they are worried about causing stress to the corn plant during pollination. There is not any data to support fungicide induced stress in corn at pollination, nor has there been any yield data that would justify waiting until brown silk. BASF products are aimed at reducing stress in the plant at pollination, so that is one of the reasons we encourage you to spray at VT-R2.
BASF Plant Health products have repeatedly demonstrated increased photosynthesis, reduced respiration, increased nitrogen utilization and reduced ethylene production, when applied to many crops. You want all of these things working in your favor when your corn is going through its most crucial growth stage and is most susceptible to stress.
Why to not wait for my crop to show signs of disease?
There are many growers that are still waiting for disease to hit before applying fungicide. If your lucky enough to be one of the few without disease this year, you still should not wait to spray. Headline AMP fungicide is much more than just disease control. More importantly, this application helps improve your overall plant health, minimize stress and maximize your yields.
The Plant Health benefits from Headline AMP, respiration reduction and photosynthesis, are really crucial in keeping the corn factory going. It's important to remember that you often can’t see disease until it has already been in the plant for 7-10 days. If you wait until dough stage to treat, you may be able to get control of a disease outbreak, but at that point the initial infection along with other stressors likely still hurt your crop before you applied. From our perspective, it really doesn't make sense to wait until disease is present to apply fungicide on your crop.
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