For plants, the best defense is a good offense

Using fungicides to support excellent plant health

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, December 7, 2017 — Each grower may have their own definition of success, but regardless of the definition, growers still need to develop a crop management plan that has a good offense and defense. An input that helps growers on both sides of the ball, so to speak, would be a fungicide application. Fungicides are a key component for any crop protection plan, as they can help defend against environmental stresses while managing diseases.

 

For a good offense, applying a plant health labeled fungicide like Headline AMP® fungicide can help crops reach their full genetic potential. Headline AMP includes triazole compounds, which contain potent antifungal properties that provide post-infection disease control. It regulates late-season diseases while providing many benefits that enable the plant to utilize all of its resources for grain fill, which can help maximize yields.

 

When it comes to a good defense, it’s important to note that diseases can cause damage even before symptoms are detected. Pay special attention to fields that are historically disease prone, have grown corn-on-corn, or are no-till or minimum-till, as those fields will need additional management to regulate diseases.

 

More instances of diseases such as anthracnose, gray leaf spot and multiple types of leaf blight are becoming prevalent in growers’ fields. Now is the time to plan ahead by making fungicide applications part of an integrated pest management plan for next year.

 

The plant health benefits of fungicide applications can make a big difference at harvest time when it comes to stalk strength. As corn continues to mature, the ears place tremendous stress on the stalk due to increased weight from water and the shift in nutrients. Lower leaves begin to cannibalize and degrade from lack of sunlight caused by the canopy cover. This can lead to rot infestations, which can quickly overtake the stalk. Poor stalk quality leaves the crop susceptible to stalk lodging, which alone can increase harvest yield losses from five to 25 percent, costing growers time and money.

 

Making a fungicide application part of a crop protection plan can help plants stay healthier longer, which helps them reach their optimal yield potential to make every dollar count.

 

For more information on the benefits of fungicide applications, visit www.agproducts.basf.com to learn more.

 

Always read and follow label directions.
Headline AMP is a registered trademark of BASF Corporation. © 2017 BASF Corporation. All rights reserved.

 

About BASF’s Crop Protection division

With a rapidly growing population, the world is increasingly dependent on our ability to develop and maintain sustainable agriculture and healthy environments. BASF’s Crop Protection division works with farmers, agricultural professionals, pest management experts and others to help make this possible. With their cooperation, BASF is able to sustain an active R&D pipeline, an innovative portfolio of products and services, and teams of experts in the lab and in the field to support customers in making their businesses succeed. In 2016, BASF’s Crop Protection division generated sales of €5.6 billion. For more information, please visit us at www.agriculture.basf.com or on any of our social media channels.

 

About BASF

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has nearly 17,500 employees in North America, and had sales of $16.2 billion in 2016. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.us.

 

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 114,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of about €58 billion in 2016. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com.