Relationship between Late Soybean Diseases Complex and Rain in Determining Grain Yield Responses to Fungicide Applications

Abstract

Wide distribution of soybean monoculture associated with no tillage has contributed to enhance damages caused by late diseases complex (LDC) in Argentina. LDC is a complex of diseases where Septoria glycines and Cercospora kikuchii are regarded as the major problem. Even though the use of foliar fungicides has increased, there is no rational and economic guide for their use. This is the main reason why the response to foliar fungicide applications is unpredictable. One of the main factors that contribute to the development of LDC is rainfall. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of rainfall during several growing seasons and different soybean growth stages on LDC severity and yield. We carried out 18 field experiments during three growing seasons (2004–2006) at several locations in the Argentine Pampas Region, to examine the relationship between rain and yield response to single fungicide applications (quinone outside inhibitors and demethylation inhibitors) at growing stages R3 and R5. The strongest associations (R2 = 0.81–0.84; P < 0.001) were observed between accumulated rainfall from R3 to R5 and yield response to fungicides applied in R3 or R5. Our results suggest that a minimum of 65–90 mm rainfall during R3–R5 is required to justify fungicide application, with high probability that the use of fungicide will increase soybean yield as a consequence of disease control. These findings could lead to a simple model, useful as decision support system for use in planning and scheduling spray applications for LDC management in soybean crops.