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Treating tar spot or losing yield loss

An Ohio agronomist says the hot and dry weather has helped prevent the fast spread of tar spot.

Agrigold’s Scott Bugg tells Brownfield the disease was found a month earlier in the crop.

“We just need the environment for it to spread and we will get that at some point and tar spot can move relatively fast on a corn crop and make significant yield loss.”

Bugg says farmers are concerned about the cost of a fungicide application. 

“With the grain markets this year, I have a lot of questions on whether or not we should because it takes more bushels to pay for it, but I think we just can’t give up on our crop,” and, he adds, “Let’s protect what we’ve got there – let’s protect those 10 to 15 bushels – (and) not give it up.”

Bugg says he’ll continue to monitor tar spot and disease movement as the crop enters grain fill period.