Perfect Conditions for Cercospora Leaf Spot

According to Belchim USA President Tom Wood, conditions are ripe for disease pressure in sugarbeets. “What we hear about the Red River Valley is extraordinary amounts of rain and cool with other days hot and humid, it seems like this year has perfect conditions for Cercospora.” Many sugarbeet growers were able to get by with a couple applications for Cercospora leaf spot last year. Wood says growers are gearing up for five, six or even seven fungicide applications this season. “Fungicides have a level of resistance so it’s important that you rotate one fungicide and then in the next spray another fungicide,” said Wood. “Minerva can be used for the first spray and that’s where we recommend it and there’s a couple reasons for that. It’s a resistance management tool and we’re very competitively priced.” Due to an agreement with Sipcam Agro, Belchim USA has an exclusive marketing and sales rights agreement for Minerva fungicide. Belchim’s sugarbeet portfolio also includes Spin-Aid herbicide, which was acquired from Bayer in 2022. Listen to the interview.