November/December 2020 - 7

Preparing for
2021 planting:
the outlook
2020 was a banner year for potato growers in the most
unexpected ways. Unlike many seasons, pests and diseases
weren't necessarily the biggest issues they faced - but this
means growers need to be all the more vigilant going into
the 2021 growing season.
Being prepared as growers plan for the spring season
requires understanding the pressures from last year, as
well as the options available for controlling issues that can
decimate fields.
Knowing what's available on the market and understanding
the issues many growers have with resistance management
are just half the battle. Being prepared to apply chemistries
preventatively will go a long way to reducing issues later in the
season, but all of that requires that growers plan ahead and
have the right chemistries on hand before the season kicks off.
When concerned about resistance, growers need to
understand not only what is available but also what limits they
may have, making the timing of applications one of the most
important aspects of pest and disease management.
Tye Shauck, technical services representative with BASF
Corporation, notes that the most important thing for
growers to think about now is having the right chemistries
on hand before the season starts. " You never know how
your spring will shape up. Make a plan early, " Shauck said.
Even if disease or pest pressure was abnormally low in 2020,
growers need to take care not to grow complacent about
common threats.
BASF offers several chemistries, from in-furrow and foliar
fungicides to preemergent herbicides, that growers can
apply to help start the season off right.
These include Priaxor®
fungicide, which works against
Rhizoctonia when applied in-furrow, and which Shauck
calls " very effective " in this capacity. Priaxor®
fungicide can
also be applied if needed as a foliar fungicide to control
black dot and early blight and also offers plant health
benefits, such as an improvement in growth efficiency and
reduction in plant stress. Keeping ethylene and oxidative
stress low in the plant means less impact on the plant when
in a stressful environment
Shauck recommends that in the fight against white mold and
early blight, growers should use foliar applications starting
just prior to row closure. Endura®
fungicide is a perennial
favorite with many growers and " what I would consider
best-in-class for white mold control and is also very effective
on early blight in areas without Group 7 resistance, " Shauck
said. Provysol®
fungicide is the newest chemistry developed
by BASF for use in potatoes. Provysol provides excellent
control of early blight with long residual activity as well
as resistance management. Being a group 3 fungicide, it
works in areas where resistance has developed to group
7 chemistries. When considering late blight, BASF offers
Forum®
fungicide, for control.
As pre-emergent herbicide applications, Shauck
recommends that growers consider Zidua®
Prowl®
H2O herbicide. Zidua®
SC herbicide and
SC herbicide is newly labeled
for potatoes with long residual activity at a low use rate and
is effective on difficult weeds including nightshades and
pigweeds. Prowl®
H2O herbicide is broad-spectrum while
also protecting fields for long periods of time. " It's important
to apply these chemistries early in the season to control
weeds from a residual standpoint, before they emerge and
become competitive, " Shauck said.
When growers are in a position to possibly face issues related
to contracts, like they were in 2020, the best way to get in
front of the issue is to ensure that the best yield and quality
are available from all fields. Growers need to focus on the
things they can control: fungal disease, pests and weeds. " We
can get you there with the top-quality BASF products that we
offer in our potato portfolio, " Shauck said.
For more information about the portfolio of chemistries
BASF offers for potato growers, visit agproducts.basf.us.
Provysol®, Zidua®, Prowl®, Priaxor®, Endura® and Forum® are registered trademarks of BASF Corporation.
© 2020 BASF Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
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November/December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November/December 2020