Fungal diseases affect plants differently and can attack at any stage of crop growth. The earlier the infection, the more significant the yield loss will be. Cereal spikelets are initiated at a very early stage already. Timely fungicide applications stop diseases before they start and control them during critical crop establishment. By keeping plants greener and healthier early on, lesions on leaves won’t impair photosynthesis which is critical to maximizing grain fill.
Food safety and profitability
Late-season crop infections, on the other hand, will seriously damage kernel development and quality. More important still, they pose safety issues along the entire food chain because some fungal diseases produce mycotoxins which present a real threat to human and livestock health. Mycotoxin contamination thus may well render your crop unmarketable.
Protecting food safety starts on the farm by protecting cereal crops from fungal diseases. Farmers can expect from authorities and private sector bodies (e.g. GLOBALGAP, formerly EUREPGAP) the establishment of maximum levels, assessment protocols for grain contamination, enforcement of storage, blending and traceability regulations and appropriate allocation of associated costs. EUREPGAP was established in 1995 by European retailers and supermarkets in order to define Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). It developed standards and procedures for certification. Meanwhile, it became an approved standard in more than 80 countries although there are still differences from country to country in accreditation procedures and in the content of post-audit recommendations. In September 2007 the title EUREPGAP was changed to GLOBALCAP. Farmers who want to sell grain to GLOBALGAP countries have to take into consideration the defined standards and certification procedures.
Professionals use fungicides not only to protect their yield and quality but also the earlier investments made in seed, fertilizer, machinery and labour. Research trials around the world confirm time and again that fungicides improve the profitability of cereal crops. In the United States, an extensive study found unprotected yield losses to be between 12% and 35% for barley and 20% for wheat alone. Growers in Argentina who routinely use fungicides will commonly achieve yield increases between 10 and 20%, even under low moisture and disease pressure.
Prevention is the key
In order to protect your crop efficiently and sustain the profitability of your farm, prevention is the key and timing is everything. You don’t need to be a plant pathologist to protect your crop from yield-robbing diseases. Walk your field; directing your attention to symptoms of damaging fungi is a question of training. A systematic programme of timely fungicide applications is the best way to protect your crops. Usually, two applications of fungicide, one at the early disease stage and another at full flowering, provide favorable cost-benefit relationship for disease control on wheat.
With almost 100 years of innovation and experience in the fungicide business, Bayer CropScience offers excellent expertise in protecting cereal crops from disease. Although each of our products has specific optimized properties, with all broad-spectrum fungicides from the Bayer CropScience portfolio, such as FalconŽ, NativoŽ, ProsaroŽ, you have a valuable solution in almost every situation.
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