Taking steps early to fight tar spot

Taking steps early to fight tar spot

An Iowa-based agronomist says it isn’t too early for farmers to start thinking about crop health.

Matthew Nelson with Channel says taking steps now can help farmers battle foliar diseases like tar spot later in the growing season.  He says it starts with managing crop stress.  “Sidewall compaction that’s caused routing issues, issues with fertility,” he says.  “There’s some compelling research that shows that nitrogen deficiency actually can help exacerbate this disease and in terms of how severe it is and how it can impact the corn planet and yields at the end of the season.”

He tells Brownfield farmers may also need to manage residue.

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