Protecting winter wheat plant health with T3 fungicide applications

Chris Snip, CCA-ON, 4R NMS
Crop Sales Specialist
AGRIS Co-operative — Cottam

It has been around two decades since we have been applying T3 or heading fungicides on winter wheat in Ontario and we have learned a lot over the years on how to maximize its results.

The first product on the market for fusarium head blight suppression was Folicur and results were mixed. In following years more products have come on the market like Caramba, Prosaro XTR, and more recently, Prosaro Pro, and we have gained a lot of insight as to how and when to apply these fungicides to maximize their efficacy.

Timing is critical to get the most out of these products. In most fields there is about a 3-4 day window of opportunity.

When looking at heads to stage the crop you should be concentrating on the main stem heads and the area of the field that is the most representative of the whole field.

Spray tips

Example of forward backward nozzles from TeeJet

There has been a lot of talk on spray tips for fungicide application, for targeting the head on wheat the proven best option is the forward and backward facing nozzles with coarse droplets combined with water volumes around 20 gallons per acre is the best combination.

Other considerations

Other considerations to help you be successful are making sure your sprayer is thoroughly cleaned out before applying T3 fungicides. Wheat is very susceptible to herbicides at heading so any residual herbicides in the spray tank, filters, lines, nozzles or end caps can cause major injury to the wheat. Clean all of these elements with the appropriate tank cleaner for the herbicides you have been using.

Boom height plays a critical role in coverage as well. When we are spraying herbicides we are usually targeting the soil surface; with spraying wheat at heading we are targeting the wheat heads so having your boom about 20 inches above the wheat heads will help ensure good coverage.

T3 fungicides in wheat have been proven to maintain grain quality and increase yield. With grain prices at record highs a T3 fungicide will put more money in your pocket this year more than ever, so I encourage you to have the product of choice ready, and tank cleaner on hand for when the time is right!

Contact your local AGRIS crop specialist. We're here to help.