Damon L. Smith, Extension Field Crops Pathologist, Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin-Madison
View this complete article on BadgerCropDoc.com blog site.
Summary:
With high commodity prices this spring and some freeze events affecting alfalfa in Wisconsin several weeks ago, I have been getting many questions about using fungicide on alfalfa. Should you do it? Is it economically viable? Does fungicide help to heal the freeze injury? The answers as you might expect are not always straight forward. Ain’t that just the way…..
In alfalfa, application of fungicide should be reserved when the risk of foliar disease is high. Wet weather leading to increased durations between cuttings can lead to higher risk of disease and warrant application of fungicides. Dry weather or short durations between cutting intervals lead to low risk of foliar disease development. Fungicides are not warranted under these conditions and quality is not readily affected by fungicide applications under short cutting durations.