At the 2023 Ag Expo held in Norman, Oklahoma, Associate Farm Editor Reagan Calk had the chance to visit with one of the speakers, Dr. Maira Duffeck, about the management of row crop diseases.
Duffeck is an Oklahoma State University entomology and plant pathology expert and row crop specialist. She was able to give insight into the many diseases that row crops in Oklahoma are affected by and how to prevent and treat them.
Duffeck said the main factors to be considered when managing plant disease include the host, the pathogen, and the environmental conditions.
When looking to prevent plant disease, Duffeck said pre-planting decisions are the most important.
“They are the ones that growers have control over, and they can plan ahead to try to decrease the levels of disease throughout a growing season,” Duffeck said.
One pre-planning preventative measure, Duffeck said, is crop rotation. Using certified and high-quality seeds is also important, Duffeck added, because some diseases are transmitted through the seeds.
Duffeck also added that some varieties are bred to have resistance to certain plant diseases.
While fungicides can be used as a preventative method, Duffeck said they are also used in-season to tackle row crop disease when the disease has already been established.
Duffeck explained that fungicides are classified into FRAC Groups based on how the fungus is killed.
“It is very important for us to know the modes of action of the fungicide and try to rotate these modes of action throughout the growing season,” Duffeck said. “If growers use the same fungicide with the same mode of action in the same FRAC Code over and over, we are going to start to select individuals of the pathogen that are resistant to those fungicides.”
For producers who have questions about row crop disease, Duffeck recommends contacting OSU Extension or herself at mairodr@okstate.edu.
