BASF - 2019 - 4

COVER STORY
Beat early blight
to the draw
By Nick Paulson
The right fungicide plan
can help protect your fields
L
eft uncontrolled, early blight
can ravage potatoes. But
including the right fungicide
in a disease management plan
can protect yield and quality.
Losses to early blight can exceed
20 percent, according to 2013
University of Idaho Extension
research. That drops to less than 5
percent when fungicides are used,
according to the same research.
The key is planning and
scouting early.
" To best prepare for any
diseases that may affect their
crop, potato growers should
develop a fungicide plan prior
to the season so that they
are prepared to make timely
applications, " said Curtis
Rainbolt, a BASF Technical
Service Representative based
in Idaho. " Endura®
fungicide
is a product we recommend
growers use for control of early
blight and ultimately to help
prevent crop losses. "
Endura fungicide stands
out because of its chemistry.
Featuring the active ingredient
boscalid, it offers an effective
site of action, which is extremely
useful for managing fungicide
resistance.
The succinate dehydrogenase
inhibiting single mode of action
4
Spudman
offers tank-mixing flexibility that
makes Endura fungicide an ideal
partner.
" Growers should use tank
mixes of protectants like
chlorothalonil or mancozebbased
fungicides with Endura
fungicide, " Rainbolt said.
Using comprehensive
resistance-management
techniques is the most effective
way to fight fungicide resistance.
That includes beginning a spray
program with the most effective
fungicides, making applications
before the disease is established
in the field, limiting the number
of sprays with the same mode
of action and rotating modes of
action within a spray program.
Timing it right
During the vegetative stage,
application of foliar fungicides
for early blight control is typically
not necessary as plants are still
relatively resistant. Fungicide
applications that occur too early
could have minimal to no effect
on the spread of early blight.
Rainbolt recommends
applying fungicides on a tight
spray schedule of five to 14 days,
depending on the location
and disease pressure, and in
accordance with the label.
This is especially important
following alternating wet and dry
periods, which favor early blight
production.
" A potato crop can face a variety
of issues each year that threaten
its health and yield potential,
including diseases brought on by
adverse weather conditions, " said
Rainbolt. " Growers should control
what they can and protect against
what they cannot. "
Determining the best
plan for your crop
Use of fungicides to control
early blight should exist within a
comprehensive integrated disease
management plan. Practices
such as rotation with non-host
crops, avoiding irrigation in cool,
cloudy weather and the removal
of infected plant debris all help
reduce the risk of early blight
affecting a grower's potato crop.
" Our reps recommend Endura
fungicide to be included in a
grower's disease management
plan so they can get ahead of
early blight while preserving their
crop's yield, " said Rainbolt.
For more information, contact
your BASF representative or visit
GrowSmartPotatoes.com.
Always read and follow label directions.
Endura is a registered trademark of BASF. © 2018 BASF Corporation. All rights reserved.
http://www.GrowSmartPotatoes.com
BASF - 2019

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