AUDIO: Robby Meeker – Wyffels Hybrids
An agronomy manager with Wyffels Hybrids says growers should be scouting for tar spot.
Robby Meeker, who covers the eastern half of Illinois and all of Indiana, says he expects reports of the disease to become more prevalent as August progresses.
“Not super alarming, but it’s definitely here.” He says, “We all saw it coming. We’ve been talking about it for two months. If it progresses very rapidly, we need to be willing and open-minded to a second fungicide pass, even if you’ve already sprayed three weeks ago.”
He tells Brownfield that research shows a second pass of fungicide typically doesn’t equate to added yield, however…
“When we have some pockets like northwestern Illinois last year that dealt with tar spot, Iowa that dealt with southern rust very significantly, we had 40, 60, I even heard of some 80 bushel responses to the second fungicide pass,” he says.
Meeker says there’s still opportunity to influence and protect corn yield after dent, so farmers should keep a close eye on what’s happening in their fields and act accordingly.
