Southern rust has been confirmed in Iowa, prompting corn growers across the Upper Midwest to keep a close watch on their fields. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” said FMC Technical Service Manager Bill Verbeten. “If we have a mix of modes of action that’s both curative and preventative, we can hopefully catch the early parts of an outbreak but also have lasting protection for a number of weeks.” Verbeten said diseases like southern rust, tar spot and gray leaf spot have become annual management concerns, encouraging farmers to build fungicide applications into their crop management plans before disease pressure develops.
