Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
July 14, 2014
Due to a cool, wet spring in Western Canada and delayed seeding more acres may be affected by Fusarium head blight (FHB) this year. With the increased risk, BASF is reminding growers to take proactive measures and apply a preventative fungicide like Caramba®.
“Crops are at a greater risk for Fusarium head blight this year across all three prairie provinces. At this point in the season, using a fungicide is the best way to protect your wheat crop from FHB and late season leaf diseases,” said Piero Castro, Brand Manager of Fungicides in Cereal, Corn and Soybean. “A strategically planned fungicide application is an excellent preventative measure against spring fungal diseases, helping to increase quality and yield.”
Application timing is crucial to prevent disease and reduce DON levels. Once a crop is infected with the disease, it’s too late. If timed properly, a fungicide application protects against leaf diseases and maximizes yield and grade.
For maximum efficacy on FHB, timing the fungicide application during the flowering period of cereals is key. For wheat, oats and rye, apply when 75 to 100 percent of the main stem heads are fully emerged and when 40 to 50 percent of them have started flowering. For barley, apply up to three days after full emergence of head.
“Caramba will be a key tool this year for growers to manage FHB while delivering exceptional control of all major cereal leaf diseases, including rust,” said Castro. “In field trials, Caramba demonstrated the greatest and most consistent reduction in DON levels and offered improved yields by two bushels per acre or more over competitors.”
Caramba is a registered trade-mark of BASF Agro B.V., used with permission by BASF Canada Inc. Caramba should be used in a preventative disease control program.
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