This Yield Check Report is made possible by Specialty Hybrids.
While there’s no fool-proof way to win the war against tar spot, there are products that can fight the battle.
Tom Manney, agronomist for Specialty Hybrids, says there are a couple varieties that are showing promise this season.
“The 37D369 product is really shining against tar spot—it’s doing quite well for us across the whole state in terms of yield too,” he says. “The other one in the same class, 28D249 is the 98-day product. That one is really doing well against tar spot this year for us—I’ve been really pleased with it.”
Drought tolerance is also holding its own against the foliar disease.
“It’s cranking out over 200 bushels on some sandy ground over the southeast part of the state,” says Manney.
Manney says fungicide applications from this summer are also defending yields.
“I have reports of our product 33D580 coming in at 230 bushels in Kalamazoo County on irrigated ground, and there’s 50-bushel losses where the plane couldn’t hit it,” he says. “We’re definitely getting the investment back out of our fungicide this year, and it’s one thing customers are going to want to consider integrating into their program year in and year out.”
On soybeans, Manney says the XtendFlex line has been performing well.
“The product that is really shining this year is our 2403 XtendFlex bean,” he says. “We have some trials out, and currently that one is doing in the area of five bushels better than some of our E3 competitor soybeans, so really pleased with that very high-yielding bean, and it’s doing very well in Michigan.”
