Plant Pathology

Faculty Spotlight: Tim Brenneman

Peanut stem rot caused large losses to growers in Georgia, in part because of the very favorable weather and in part because of the difficulty of penetrating thick peanut foliage with fungicide sprays. In Dr. Brenneman's program, trials were set up in replicated small plots to evaluate fungicide sprays applied either at night when the leaves were folded or during the day. His hypothesis was that night sprays would penetrate the foliage much more efficiently and protect the lower stems, crown, and even pods of the plant from infection. In these trials the same rate of fungicide was applied on the same day, the only difference being the time of application. There was a large and significant improvement in control of stem rot with the night versus the day sprays with two different fungicides in two trials. Foliar diseases were controlled equally well with either application timing. With more growers each year using sprayers equipped with GPS systems it will be feasible to easily and accurately make this application for the benefit to Georgia farmers.