Fungicide Efficacy Guides for Foliar Diseases in Corn and Soybean: Development and Validation

Fungicide efficacy guides, updated annually through the Crop Protection Network, inform fungicide selection for foliar and seedling diseases of corn ( Zea mays) and soybean ( Glycine max). These guides rank fungicides based on multistate field trials across the United States and Ontario, Canada. Trials were analyzed to validate these rankings by assessing the efficacy of fungicides under varying disease severities. Under high disease severity (≥5%), fungicides with the best efficacy ratings significantly reduced gray leaf spot (GLS; caused by Cercospora zeae-maydis) and southern rust (SR; caused by Puccinia polysora) in corn when applied at the tasseling (VT) to silking (R1) growth stages and frogeye leaf spot (FLS; caused by Cercospora sojina) in soybean when applied at beginning pod (R3) growth stage. GLS severity was reduced by 8.6 to 8.8%, SR by 14.6 to 20.6%, and FLS by 15.3%. Corn yields were 420.4 kg/ha (6.7 bushels/acre) greater than the nontreated control, and yield response in 57.9 to 63.6% of the trials exceeded the economic breakeven point of 288.4 kg/ha (4.6 bushels/acre) for fungicide application. Soybean yields were 417.0 kg/ha (6.2 bushels/acre) greater than the nontreated control, with 83.3% of trials reaching the economic breakeven point of 134.5 kg/ha (2 bushels/acre). Under low disease severity (<5%), disease control and yield benefits diminished across all fungicide efficacy categories. These results validate the fungicide efficacy ratings as predictive tools for disease control and yield response, especially under high disease pressure, highlighting their importance for fungicide decisions in corn and soybean across the United States and Canada.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Plant Health Progress
Published
2025-01-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1094/php-02-25-0073-rs
Primary Topic
Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Fungicide Efficacy Guides for Foliar Diseases in Corn and Soybean: Development and Validation

Tamra A. Jackson‐Ziems, Rodrigo Onofre, Mandy Bish, Alison E. Robertson et al.
Plant Health Progress
Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases
article

Fungicide Efficacy Guides for Foliar Diseases in Corn and Soybean: Development and Validation

Tamra A. Jackson‐Ziems, Rodrigo Onofre, Mandy Bish, Alison E. Robertson, Yuba R. Kandel, Kaitlyn Bissonnette, David B. Langston, Daren S. Mueller, Martin I. Chilvers, Thomas Wesley Allen, Nabin K. Dangal, Boyd Padgett, Adam Sisson, Emerson M. Del Ponte, Andrew Friskop, C. A. Hollier, Carl A. Bradley, Albert Tenuta, Heather Kelly, Kiersten Wise, Darcy E. P. Telenko, Edward J. Sikora, Jhonatan Barro, Jason P. Bond, Paul P. Price, Travis Faske, Damon L. Smith, Alyssa K. Betts
article en

Abstract

Fungicide efficacy guides, updated annually through the Crop Protection Network, inform fungicide selection for foliar and seedling diseases of corn ( Zea mays) and soybean ( Glycine max). These guides rank fungicides based on multistate field trials across the United States and Ontario, Canada. Trials were analyzed to validate these rankings by assessing the efficacy of fungicides under varying disease severities. Under high disease severity (≥5%), fungicides with the best efficacy ratings significantly reduced gray leaf spot (GLS; caused by Cercospora zeae-maydis) and southern rust (SR; caused by Puccinia polysora) in corn when applied at the tasseling (VT) to silking (R1) growth stages and frogeye leaf spot (FLS; caused by Cercospora sojina) in soybean when applied at beginning pod (R3) growth stage. GLS severity was reduced by 8.6 to 8.8%, SR by 14.6 to 20.6%, and FLS by 15.3%. Corn yields were 420.4 kg/ha (6.7 bushels/acre) greater than the nontreated control, and yield response in 57.9 to 63.6% of the trials exceeded the economic breakeven point of 288.4 kg/ha (4.6 bushels/acre) for fungicide application. Soybean yields were 417.0 kg/ha (6.2 bushels/acre) greater than the nontreated control, with 83.3% of trials reaching the economic breakeven point of 134.5 kg/ha (2 bushels/acre). Under low disease severity (<5%), disease control and yield benefits diminished across all fungicide efficacy categories. These results validate the fungicide efficacy ratings as predictive tools for disease control and yield response, especially under high disease pressure, highlighting their importance for fungicide decisions in corn and soybean across the United States and Canada.

Plant Health ProgressVol. 26(4)
Southern Illinois University Carbondale (US), University of Nebraska–Lincoln (US), Louisiana State University (US), Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (CA), Valve (United States) (US), Louisiana State University Agricultural Center (US), University of Wisconsin–Madison (US), University of Kentucky (US), Universidade Federal de Viçosa (BR), State Street (United States) (US), Iowa State University (US), Kansas State University (US), Princeton University (US), Cotton (United States) (US), Purdue University West Lafayette (US), Suffolk University (US), University of Arkansas System (US), Mississippi Delta Community College (US), Michigan United (US), North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (US), North Dakota State University (US), University of Tennessee at Knoxville (US), University of Missouri (US), University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (US), Auburn University (US), Delta State University (US), Virginia Tech (US), University of Delaware (US), Michigan State University (US), Mississippi State University (US)
Openalex Percentile: Top 92%
Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases
DOISourceOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.