I’m Bob Larson. Both winter and spring wheat in Washington are harvested July through September, depending on where it is grown. From planting to cutting, growers face disease challenges to one degree or another.

BASF Technical Services Rep Curtis Rainbolt says they’ve got just the ticket for fighting the big two …

RAINBOLT … “Stamina F4 is very effective on Ryzoctonia and that’s probably a disease, as far as seedling diseases, is becoming more important than others and it’s very good on Fusarium as well. There are a whole host of other things, so if you look at the label there’s quite a few diseases listed.”

Rainbolt says they work with University researchers to find the most effective use of the seed treatments …

RAINBOLT … “We’ll go ahead and inoculate those soils most often with Ryzoc and Fusarium because those are some that can really be devastating. And, Pythium is another important one as well, but it really kind of depends on some smaller, local areas and the history of that field as far as the other ones, but those that I mentioned now are pretty widespread.”

But, he says what really what sets it apart …

RAINBOLT … “Stamina F4 is the first that offers that Xemium active ingredient and it really does move very well in the plant and then it gets out into that waxy layer where the roots and leaves and it there to protect that plant as pathogens come along so yeah, it’s Roots to the Shoots.”

Washington ranks third among the nation’s top wheat producing states.

At nearly $700-million, wheat is also the state’s fifth largest commodity in terms of annual production value.