What If You Could Stop Fungus Before It Starts?

Stop fungus before it starts with preventive fungicide strategies that protect crops and maximize ROI.

Why Do Fungal Infections Start in the First Place?

Fungal pathogens are opportunistic. They thrive under the right conditions: moisture, warmth, and a vulnerable host plant. Spores are often already present in the field—on crop residue, in the soil, or carried by wind and insects.

Core factors triggering fungal outbreaks:

• Leaf wetness duration exceeding 8–12 hours

• Daytime temperatures between 18–30°C (64–86°F)

• Poor airflow within dense crop canopies

When these variables align, fungal spores germinate and infect plant tissue. But this process doesn’t happen instantly. There’s a window—a short but critical phase—where the fungus is vulnerable and can be stopped before symptoms appear.

The Preventive Advantage: Intercepting the Infection Curve

The mechanisms of action of fungicides vary. Preventive fungicides inhibit fungal growth before they penetrates. Curative fungicides work before symptoms appear but after infection. After symptoms appear, eradicants start to work. When appropriately implemented, prevention provides the highest return on investment of all of these.

Systemic preventive fungicides provide protective barriers and block key fungal metabolic processes when applied prior to infection. Some even have the ability to migrate translaminarly, which enables them to penetrate the leaf surface and reach deeper tissues.

Even if a few spores manage to get through, you can still be protected thanks to modern triple-action treatments that combine this with therapeutic and eradicative qualities. Tricolour Fungicide, which employs three active chemicals that target distinct fungal enzymes for wider, longer-lasting coverage, is the defence combination that many growers go for.

Which Crops Benefit the Most from Early Fungicide Application?

Any crop with a long vegetative phase, dense canopy, or high economic value gains from early intervention. However, some benefit more than others due to their sensitivity and risk of disease exposure.

• Grapes: Preventing powdery mildew and botrytis before flowering ensures clean clusters

• Corn: A pre-tassel fungicide blocks gray leaf spot, tar spot, and leaf blights

• Wheat: Early-season applications reduce Septoria tritici blotch and rust buildup

• Soybeans: R1 timing stops frogeye leaf spot before it impacts canopy retention

In crops such as potatoes and tomatoes, leaf wetness and canopy density make early sprays essential for minimizing outbreaks of early blight and late blight.

Can You Prevent Fungus Without Seeing Symptoms?

Yes, and it’s often the only option to avoid yield loss. For days or even weeks, fungal illnesses frequently incubate without exhibiting any symptoms. Internal damage has already taken place by the time lesions show up.

“You don’t wait for smoke to fight a fire in your field. By the time you see it, the flames have already consumed the roots.” 

– Dr. Henrik Lau, Plant Pathology Researcher, 2024

Hazardous are latent infections. Pathogens in crops like wheat, bananas, and grapes are dormant until triggered by ripening or stress events. Before it explodes, preventive fungicides halt its stealthy evolution.

Preventive Fungicides vs. Curatives: ROI Differences

Many growers switch to curative fungicides, thinking they’re more cost-effective. But field trial data tells a different story.

Comparative data from university plots in Illinois (2023):

Preventive fungicides reduced disease incidence by over half compared to curative-only applications. The ROI more than doubled, especially in moderate-to-high disease pressure seasons.

How to Build a Preventive Spray Program That Works

Start with data, not guesswork. Identify your field’s disease history, understand the pathogens involved, and track environmental risk factors. Then match the right product and timing.

Basic steps to build a proactive fungicide strategy:

• Use resistant hybrids or cultivars as your first defense

• Apply systemic preventive fungicides before disease-conducive weather

• Rotate FRAC groups to avoid fungicide resistance buildup

• Calibrate spray equipment to ensure full canopy coverage

For high-value crops, integrate predictive tools like spore traps, crop modeling, and weather indices. These help fine-tune the timing so fungicides intercept the infection curve.

© 2024 Crivva - Business Promotion. All rights reserved.