If you have ever seen the destruction caused by tar spots, you can appreciate why it is crucial to severely treat this relatively recent corn disease in the United States. In 2015, it was initially identified in northwest Indiana and northeast Illinois.
Scott Rountree, the Pioneer technical agronomist in south-central Wisconsin, says, "We first observed it in '16, but it caught our attention in '18." "The corn looked fantastic when we had a late field day that year. We discussed tar spots while talking about diseases. Fields that appeared to be 240-bushel-per-acre corn fields were dead within three weeks, and the potential yield was reduced by 30% to 50%.
Five Tips for Identifying Tar Spot
Rountree offers producers worried about tar spot five takeaways based on insights learned since then:
Rountree offers producers worried about tar spot five takeaways based on insights learned since then:
1. The key to coping with tar spots is frequent reconnaissance. Around the Fourth of July, when it usually is still pre-tassel, we like to begin scouting, according to Rountree. Little, non-removable black specks will be the initial symptoms.
When black specks appear, the infection has been active for two weeks. When a disease is functional but symptoms are not yet present is referred to as the latent period. As symptoms start to manifest, the illness can spread quickly. Scouting every three to four days is advised by Rountree.
2. Tar spot persists here and overwinters over the winter. There is currently enough inoculum spread over the Corn Belt for a tar spot to appear when the atmosphere is favorable. Development is favored by days with seven or more hours of dew and daily average temperatures between 63 and 72 degrees F.
3. Tar spot doesn't just affect corn that has been watered. Since moisture levels in irrigated maize tend to be greater during and immediately after water application, irrigation might cause infection if the conditions are favorable and inoculum is present. Evidence suggests tar spots can be more severe in maize grown alongside irrigated and non-irrigated crops. Unfortunately, infected areas are not the only ones.
According to Rountree, the perfect combination of frequent rains and warm temperatures can cause deadly infections in dryland corn.
4. Planting genotypes that are resistant to tar spots is beneficial. It is your job, according to Rountree, to be aware of the illness risk in your neighborhood.
Discuss the disease rating system with your seed representative. Disease tolerance at Pioneer is graded on a scale of 1 to 9, with one being the most sensitive and nine being the most tolerant.
Plant pathologist Scott Heuchelin of Pioneer explains, "We tend to be conservative. "We would rather not grade it than give it a rating that might not stand up when the hybrid experiences heavy pressure," the statement reads. "If we don't have enough solid data on how a hybrid operates in the presence of tar spot pressure, we would rather not score it."
5. You won't be able to avoid tar stains with fungicide. Fungicide is very beneficial and can help to reduce yield loss, but Rountree advises starting with the most tolerant genotypes you can find. When scouting indicates fungicide spray is required, do it promptly. Yet, using fungicides to save a season when a hybrid is particularly vulnerable can be dangerous.
Tar Spot outbreaks can significantly affect yields once they start. Farmers may slow the damage this year and protect the vulnerable crops for the following season with careful management.
Finding a hybrid with good Tar Spot tolerance is imperative, according to Joe Bollman, corn product manager at NK Seeds, if you have problems this year and intend to plant corn in the same area the following year. Compared to most products on the market, "NK corn hybrids have particularly strong Tar Spot resistance."
Farmers can fight off the illness that steals yields by using hybrid selection, crop rotation, and tillage.
For fields where Tar Spot has a history of occurrence, consider hybrids with low sensitivity to the disease. Consider purchasing goods with low sensitivity ratings.
Consider tillage and crop rotation. Reducing the fungus inoculum in fields can be reduced by switching from maize to other crops and employing tillage to bury waste.
Studies have shown that treating Tar Spot early, at or before the first symptoms of the condition, can be successful. While curative fungicide applications made in the late growing season are not advised, early fungicide programs applied before disease development may be successful.
McRoberts states, "the disease will spread further if the environment is suitable, so a producer could still apply a fungicide application or two if the infestation persists." One of the finest instruments for mitigating the effects of the disease is a fungicide that has been demonstrated to decrease the damage caused by the illness, combined with hybrids with high levels of tolerance.
Depending on when the disease's symptoms first manifest, a different fungicide administration strategy may be necessary. This could also help keep other fungal infections under control.
Farmers could adopt a two-pass fungicide treatment utilizing Trivapro or Miravis Neo at the V4 to V8 corn growth stage and the VT/R1 growth stage, suggests McRoberts, if conditions are conducive for Tar Spot formation early in the season. Farmers should instead consider applying Trivapro or Miravis Neo fungicide at the VT/R1 growth stage if the danger of Tar Spot formation is reduced. This strategy could be used to combat other foliar diseases that lower yields.