Tar Spot Showing Early this Year: a Note on Diagnosis

Jul 13, 2021

By Pierce Paul

I have so far only received one confirmed report of Tar Spot in the state, but the fact that the disease has been reported in a few neighboring states has some stakeholders asking questions about diagnosis and management. Tar Spot is a relatively easy disease to diagnose. As the name suggests, it usually shows up as raised, black spots, primarily on the leaf blast. The size of the spots may vary, but they all have a very similar appearance – raised, circular-to-irregularly shaped, black spots. However, is you do have trouble with diagnosis, please feel free to send me images and samples (1680 Madison Ave, Wooster, OH 44691).

This is the earliest we have seen Tar Spot in the state since it was first reported in 2018. Results from studies out west suggest that yield losses due to Tar Spot tends to be highest when it develops and spreads before tasseling (VT) on susceptible hybrids. Warm, wet, and humid conditions seem to favor the development and spread of Tar Spot, so keep your eyes on the weather, and watch the progress of the disease. If it continues to spread, a fungicide application may be warranted, but efficacy of fungicides against Tar Spot is still being investigated.

Source : osu.edu

Video: EP 65 Grazing Through Drought

Welcome to the conclusion of the Getting Through Drought series, where we look at the best management practices cow-calf producers in Alberta can use to build up their resiliency against drought.

Our hope is that the series can help with the mental health issues the agriculture sector is grappling with right now. Farming and ranching are stressful businesses, but that’s brought to a whole new level when drought hits. By equipping cow-calf producers with information and words of advice from colleagues and peers in the sector on the best ways to get through a drought, things might not be as stressful in the next drought. Things might not look so bleak either.

In this final episode of the series, we are talking to Ralph Thrall of McIntyre Ranch who shares with us his experience managing grass and cows in a pretty dry part of the province.