Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A wet growing season across parts of the Prairies and the Northern Plains has left water standing in some fields, driving up disease pressure and grower interest in corn fungicides.
Scouting for disease is often a secondary priority for corn production in northern areas, but high-moisture conditions justify a closer look at the canopy—especially with a "game-changer" threat creeping north across Minnesota and North Dakota, explains Jeanette Gaultier, senior technical services agronomist with BASF, in this Corn School episode.
She recommends scouting around the V12 stage to assess the prevalence of familiar diseases, such as Northern corn leaf blight, rusts, and bacterial threats like Goss's wilt. Historically, fungicide applications have typically not been required or economically justified in corn in the Prairies, but Gaultier says there has been increased interest in experimenting with fungicide treatments on farms aiming to push grain corn yields higher.
The looming threat of tar spot
Tar spot would dramatically change the approach to disease management, and should be on the radar for corn growers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, she warns. The disease, which has caused losses estimated at 50 to 70 bu/ac in Ontario, has been found as far north as Grand Forks County, North Dakota in 2024 and Beltrami County, Minnesota in 2025—both counties that are less than 150 km from the Canada-U.S. border.
"I'm not sure who the lucky person will be to find it first in Manitoba—if it'll be this year or in the future, but it is likely an issue that will rear its head at some point," says Gaultier. "I think it will change the way that we look at corn here in the Prairies."
To differentiate the disease's signature raised black spots from mud or insect frass (poop), she recommends a simple scratch test: if the spots don't rub off the leaf, it's potentially tar spot.
Fungicides applied around tasseling are the primary defense, notes Gaultier. In addition to learning about the disease itself, equipment modifications or alternative methods—such as sprayer lift kits or potentially drones—may also be necessary to achieve the canopy coverage required to protect tall corn.
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#agronomy #agriculture #corn #farming
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A wet growing season across parts of the Prairies and the Northern Plains has left water standing in some fields, driving up disease pressure and grower interest in corn fungicides.
Scouting for disease is often a secondary priority for corn production in northern areas, but high-moisture conditions justify a closer look at the canopy—especially with a "game-changer" threat creeping north across Minnesota and North Dakota, explains Jeanette Gaultier, senior technical services agronomist with BASF, in this Corn School episode.
She recommends scouting around the V12 stage to assess the prevalence of familiar diseases, such as Northern corn leaf blight, rusts, and bacterial threats like Goss's wilt. Historically, fungicide applications have typically not been required or economically justified in corn in the Prairies, but Gaultier says there has been increased interest in experimenting with fungicide treatments on farms aiming to push grain corn yields higher.
The looming threat of tar spot
Tar spot would dramatically change the approach to disease management, and should be on the radar for corn growers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, she warns. The disease, which has caused losses estimated at 50 to 70 bu/ac in Ontario, has been found as far north as Grand Forks County, North Dakota in 2024 and Beltrami County, Minnesota in 2025—both counties that are less than 150 km from the Canada-U.S. border.
"I'm not sure who the lucky person will be to find it first in Manitoba—if it'll be this year or in the future, but it is likely an issue that will rear its head at some point," says Gaultier. "I think it will change the way that we look at corn here in the Prairies."
To differentiate the disease's signature raised black spots from mud or insect frass (poop), she recommends a simple scratch test: if the spots don't rub off the leaf, it's potentially tar spot.
Fungicides applied around tasseling are the primary defense, notes Gaultier. In addition to learning about the disease itself, equipment modifications or alternative methods—such as sprayer lift kits or potentially drones—may also be necessary to achieve the canopy coverage required to protect tall corn.
Website: realagriculture.com
#agronomy #agriculture #corn #farming
Find us on our other social media platforms:
X/Twitter: twitter.com/realagriculture
Instagram: instagram.com/realagriculture
Facebook: facebook.com/realagmedia
