On the east side of Michigan, in the “thumb” area, Beet Sugar Development Foundation Executive Vice President Paul Pfenninger says cercospera continues to be an area of concern. “Growers have done an excellent job of controlling leave spot in this area, but the pressure isn’t going away. When you have high growing degree days, temperatures and humidity, it puts a lot of pressure on the beet crop,” says Pfenninger. The concern is for resistant strains to the fungicides. “So it’s extremely important for growers to rotate fungicide classes. Michigan Sugar Company has done an excellent job at educating growers on what to use and how to do it.”
Hear more from the Hilleshog Knowledge Tour, sponsored by Hilleshog Seed, in this interview.