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Bayer agronomist says tar spot remains a concern for growers

A technical agronomist says tar spot has been spotty in some areas of the Corn Belt and more aggressive in others.

Andrew Penney with Bayer Crop Science says the disease can be difficult to manage. “Just when we starting thinking we know the weather parameters that are conducive for that pathogen, we still just haven’t seen that massive build up we were expecting.”

He tells Brownfield producers should consider applying a fungicide. “It’s a tricky one,” Penney said. “It’s one of those diseases that you have to be out there scouting, or at least listening to what’s going on with your neighbor, so you can appropriately time that fungicide application.”

Penney says tar spot can develop during cool temperatures with high humidity and extended hours of dew at night. It was first discovered in the U.S. in 2015.