Row Crop Disease Considerations – 4/20/2023
As you are finishing up planting corn and moving into peanuts & cotton it is a good idea for you to consider how you will go about giving these crops the best start that you can. I thought I’d share what Dr. Bob Kemerait emailed to Extension Agents this morning (un-edited!):
The most common question I am hearing from you now, other than what to do about corn eaten up by stubby-root nematodes (answer- “Don’t do that again”) is “What should I be putting in the furrow to protect my peanut crop from disease problems?” Here are a few bullet points:
1. To reduce risk to tomato spotted wilt (not “eliminate” risk) use of Thimet as an at plant treatment is helpful, ESPECIALLY for peanuts planted in April or for a more-susceptible cultivar (see peanutrx.org).
2. Where peanut root-knot nematode is a problem, I would advise planting TifNV-HiOL. But if a grower won’t plant it, I advise planting during a “low risk planting date window” using AgLogic 15G or Velum + Imidiclolrid, or perhaps Vydate CLV. None of these reduce risk to spotted wilt, but Thimet doesn’t fight nematodes.
3. Hopefully growers are planting seed treated with Rancona or Trebuset. Both go a long way to fight seeding disease, e.g. Aspergillus crown rot, and are often all a grower needs.
4. Abound in-furrow in addition to these treatments offers further protection against Rhizoctonia and a little more (not much) against Aspergillus crown rot. Azoxystrobin in-furrow is relatively inexpensive.
5. Use of Velum offers protection against nematodes. It also offers further protection against Aspergillus crown rot and a little early-season protection against leaf spot. But Velum is not cheap; I would struggle to recommend it if nematodes are not an issue, even though it helps with other problems as well.
6. Proline in-furrow helps to fight CBR.
I hope this helps a little – remember for managing tomato spotted wilt – your choice of variety and planting date go a long way in determine the relative importance of other factors.
Please feel free to call me if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Peyton Sapp
County Extension Coordinator
Burke County