How to Scout for Tan Spot
The initial step in managing tan spot is scouting. It's crucial to start scouting wheat fields for leaf diseases between growth stages 6 (jointing) and 8 (flag leaf emergence). This period is when diseases begin to manifest on susceptible varieties.
Scouting should involve randomly collecting 30 to 50 tillers from various parts of the field and looking for tan spot symptoms. If you detect tan spot in a field planted with a susceptible variety, monitor its development over the next week to decide whether to apply fungicides.
(Image Credit: Mourad Louadfel, Retired, Bugwood.org)