Fungicides control white mold problems in soybeans

White mold has surfaced as a potential problem in soybeans with the wet, cool spring. If these weather conditions continue, soybean growers will face heavy white mold pressure. Two crop protection companies with products to handle the mold have released information about their products that growers can purchase.

Contans WG

SipcamAdvan offers the fungicide Contans WG for white mold control. The company says that it “stops white mold at the source — prior to infection. Contans can be applied in the spring, giving growers a head start against yield robbing white mold.

The active ingredient in Contans WG is fungal spores of C. minitans, which attacks sclerotinia in the soil before it infects soybeans. SipcamAdvan’s research shows Contans cuts the sclerotia populations by 80 to 85%. The active ingredient is exempt from EPA requirements for food tolerance so no crop rotation issues exist. This is important because the fungicide may also be used on other crops to keep the sclerotia populations down.

The product is available in 50-lb. bags.

Incognito

MANA Crop Protection sells Incognito fungicide that is effective against white mold when applied in the early bloom state. A second application is recommended 7 to 14 days later if the weather is favorable for more white mold pressure. MANA says growers who plant varieties susceptible to white mold should use a fungicide like Incognito to prevent problems.

Incognito works best when it penetrates the canopy and covers the flowers on the lower nodes of the soybean plant, the company reports. The active ingredient is thiophanate-methyl.