Progress 11/01/06 to 09/30/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Corn fungicide trials were conducted at multiple locations to evaluate efficacy of available registered and experimental products for management of foliar diseases of corn especially gray leaf spot and for their indirect effect on the development of stalk rots and lodging. Separate trials were conducted on plant health effects of the fungicide Headline (pyraclostrobin). The plant health studies were conducted at two locations with two hybrbids varying in susceptibility to gray leaf spot and included two planting dates at each location. The goal was to generate a range of disease potentials from low to high and measure plant growth, development and yield both with and without the fungicide. Trials were also conducted on experimental hormonal products that were being considered for the regional market by a commercial entity to determine validity of claims and potential effect on growth, diseases and production. Results from these trials were presented and disseminated at various in-state Extension winter meetings, at the NJ-Del-Mar-Va-PA plant pathologist association meeting and fungicide trial information from multiple states were combined for the annual project meeting in Chicago. Efforts were made to develop standard protocols to better enable multi-state combination and dissemination of fungicide and plant health trial data. PARTICIPANTS: The participants in this project are the PI, Arvydas Grybauskas, and his technician, Elizabeth Reed. A partner organization was Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board which partially funded some of the research described. TARGET AUDIENCES: Corn producers, agri-business personnel, other professionals in the Mid-Atlantic region including other corn plant pathologist in the US were the target audience. Extension programming, publications, newsletters, professional publications and participation at professional meetings open to all socio-economic classes extended the information generated by this project. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Fungicide efficacy findings were published and utilized in Extension presentations and publications, and recommendations for their use are available. There is a limited need and use of foliar fungicides in corn production for disease management in Maryland. Since the advent of strobilurin fungicides there has been increased pressure to use fungicides for non-disease management benefits. When corn commodity prices were high as in 2008, there was excessive use and experimentation by producers of strobilurin products. The most significant impact of this project was the demonstration that the plant health benefits in the absence of significant disease are rare and that efforts were initiated to standardize trials across multiple state to provide a larger data base and inference base to combat unnecessary use of foliar fungicides in corn.
Publications
- Grybauskas, A. P. and Reed, E. 2009. Effect of foliar fungicides on corn under low foliar disease pressure in Maryland, 2008. Plant Disease Management Reports (online). Report 3:FC013. DOI:10.1094/PDMR03. The American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN. Grybauskas, A.P. 2008. The role of QoI fungicides in field corn production. Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board - The Grain Store 15(2):12.
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