Research Triangle Park, North
Carolina
January 17, 2008
Consider soil temperature,
fungicides and other factors before planting
University researchers say growers
can maximize their stands by planting in optimal soil
temperatures and protecting their cottonseed investment with a
premium fungicide seed treatment.
Boyd Padgett, LSU AgCenter plant pathologist, said soil
temperatures should be in the mid-60s for several days prior to
planting. In Louisiana, those conditions usually arrive in
mid-April, but some growers always get an early jump on
planting, Padgett said. Other times, growers plant into ideal
conditions, only to face a cold snap a few days later.
Padgett said this is why seed-applied fungicides, including
Trilex™ Advanced Seed-Applied System, can be a good insurance
policy for growers.
“Trilex Advanced is a good product that has a fit,” he said.
“Cotton just does not do well in cold soils, and seed treatments
can carry the plant through cold snaps.”
Trilex Advanced has three fungicides that work together to
protect cotton against the most damaging seedborne and soilborne
diseases.
Though the most damaging seedling pathogens, Rhizoctonia and
Pythium spp., do not thrive in cool soils, they survive well
enough to infect plants, Padgett said. Growers who have fields
with a history of high levels of these diseases should consider
an additional in-furrow fungicide treatment to maximize
protection, he said.
Stand skips don’t just lower yield potential, Padgett said, they
also provide an open invitation for weeds to fill in the gaps.
Severe stand skips can even cause difficulties during
defoliation, he said.
A decision to choose a base fungicide or upgrade to a premium
fungicide like Trilex Advanced is a classic example of risk
management, Padgett said.
“If growers are willing to roll the dice and stay with a base
fungicide, those few times they don’t get a healthy stand,
they’ll either have to replant - which is expensive - or they’re
left with a crop that never totally recovers,” he said.
Trilex Advanced is the preferred fungicide partner for Aeris®
insecticide/nematicide seed treatment, and growers who use an
at-plant insecticide such as Temik® insecticide/nematicide can
also use Trilex Advanced. For more information about these
products, contact your local Bayer CropScience field
representative or visit
www.CottonExperts.com.
Bayer CropScience
LP is the U.S. business of Bayer CropScience AG.
Bayer AG is a global research-based and growth-oriented
enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care,
nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer CropScience AG, a
subsidiary of Bayer AG with annual sales of about EUR 5.7
billion (2006), is one of the world’s leading innovative crop
science companies in the areas of crop protection,
non-agricultural pest control, seeds and plant biotechnology.
The company offers an outstanding range of products and
extensive service backup for modern, sustainable agriculture and
for non-agricultural applications. Bayer CropScience has a
global workforce of about 17,900 and is represented in more than
120 countries.
Aeris and Temik are Restricted Use Pesticides. Always read
and follow label instructions. |
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