Written by: LeAnn Lux
Examining Delayed Fungicide Programs Based on Weather
Where did 2024 go? I am always in shock at how time flies. One moment it feels like the year has just begun, and the next, we’re reflecting on how quickly the months have passed. Though, I am looking forward to what is in store in 2025 and what challenges it may bring.
My first growing season in North Carolina was in 2023. In June that year, it was hot and dry, and then in the middle of July through September it seemed like it never stopped raining, and similar trends occurred this year (Figure 1). I looked back at trends to determine if these dry conditions were atypical. I was surprised to see that over the past 130 years, June of 2022, 2023, and 2024 all rank within the 20 driest years on record in our peanut-growing regions.
After last year’s dry June and again this year, I have had a lot of questions on whether we can delay the start of our fungicide programs or not. As a pathologist, I will always say, “it depends.” We could have conducive conditions in June of next year and earlier canopy closure that may increase disease risk, or we could have another dry year. However, under any conditions, it is recommended to apply a fungicide preventatively rather than after disease symptoms appear. Chasing disease with fungicide applications increases the risk of fungicide resistance and may reduce economic returns.
Evaluating Delayed Fungicide Programs in the Field
To explore the question of delaying the start of fungicide programs and minimizing the number of applications, we conducted a field trial at the Peanut Belt Research Station in Lewiston-Woodville, North Carolina. Figure 1 below captures the weather conditions that occurred throughout the season where the field trial was conducted.
In this trial, we evaluated four fungicide application programs consisting of a three-spray program beginning at 45 days after planting, a three-spray program beginning at 60 days after planting, a five-spray program beginning at 45 days after planting, and a five-spray program beginning at 60 days after planting.
The results are summarized in Figures 2 and 3 below. While we observed differences in disease severity among the fungicide programs, we did not detect any statistically significant differences in yield protection among the treatments.
It is important to keep in mind that these results are based on only one year of field trial data. Disease pressure and the timing of disease onset vary considerably from year to year, so direct conclusions should not be drawn from a single season. We will continue this research in 2025 with additional replicated trials at multiple locations, thanks to funding provided by the North Carolina Peanut Growers Association.
Looking Ahead to the 2025 Growing Season
If you have any questions or are interested in discussing future field trials, please contact me at lrlux@ncsu.edu.
Hope you all have a wonderful New Year!
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