The Economics Behind the Decision

Use the R7® Tool and Field Forecasting Tool (FFT) in Making Decisions

• Growers can use FFT and hybrid maturity information to determine an estimated date of maturity for their crop based on environmental and field management practices. This can help better inform decisions like late-season fungicide applications.
• Response to Fungicide (RTF) scores by corn hybrid can help growers determine which fields are more likely to get a bigger bushel increase from the addition of a fungicide. These insights can help farmers decide to make a fungicide application in one field where racehorse hybrids with high RTF scores are planted, but not in another where workhorse hybrids with lower scores may be planted.
• Always use an adjuvant like MasterLock® to optimize the benefit of a fungicide application.

 

The Economics Behind the Decision

When making a late-season fungicide application, it is important to think about which hybrids you have and what their Response-to Fungicide (RTF) scores are. Below are the top five hybrids sold here at UFC and their RTF scores.



RTF scores were created by testing 200+ hybrids at the Winfield Untied Answer Plots. Just in 2018, RTF scores ranged from -3.5 bushels to 39 bushels. This helps to show that not all hybrids respond the same to a fungicide. Just from the top five hybrids, we see that there are different responders. Now this is not saying that all high responders will reach 39 bushels per acre extra or that all low responders will get a negative response, but that there are differences between a high and low RTF hybrid.
 

How applying a fungicide on the right hybrid can help get you a better ROI

If you were to apply the recommended mix of Delaro®, Max-In® Boron and MasterLock®, it would cost approximately $30 per acre. If you were to apply that mix on the variety DKC55-53, a low responder, and get the average response for a low RTF hybrid of -5 bushels per acre, you could make $-15 per acre. $5 X $3 (price of corn) = $15 - $30 = $-15. In a year like this one, a loss like that is just not going to cut it.

Now if you planted a medium RTF score hybrid, like 4188 or DKC54-38, with the plan to apply the same fungicide mix you have the potential to gain the average response of 15 bushels per acre. You could make $15 per acre. $15 X $3 = $45 - $30 = $15.

Finally, let’s look at a high RTF hybrid, like 3909 or DKC53-56, with the same plan to apply Delaro®, MasterLock® and Max-In Boron®. If you gain the average bushel response of a high RTF hybrid of 25 bushels per acre, you could make $45 per acre. $25 X $3 = $75 - $30 = $45.

So just by checking your RTF scores on the hybrids that you have planted, you could make a more informed decision on what fields to apply a late-season application of fungicide.

Do you want to learn more about how a fungicide will work on YOUR hybrids?  Fill out the form below to get in touch with a Field Sales Agronomist!

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