Stay Diligent As Row Crops & Tree Fruit Head To The Final Stretch

We’ve seen cooler weather to start the month of September, but that doesn’t mean the region won’t return to the 80s or 90s in the coming weeks. As area row crops and tree fruits prepare to head into the home stretch of 2026, Tye Shauck with BASF said it's important growers keep a close eye on their crops, especially after the heat the region saw in July and August.

“When we get into these really high temperatures, especially for extended periods of time, that high heat can cause stress to that plant, right?," Shauck said. "And whenever we get into those situations, That can kind of shut down overall vegetative growth and production of that plant. And anytime that happens, right, we're not producing towards our potential yield. And it can cause cellular as well as leaf damage, which can leave that plant a little more vulnerable to pathogens or diseases.”

What For Increased Disease Pressures

Shauck said it’s important, whether it’s tree fruit or potatoes, for growers to stay diligent with this year’s crop.

“Continue our scouting. Don't extend those spray intervals too much at this point. Sometimes at this point in the season, we can see disease pressure reduce a little bit with the heat. But again, as we're seeing some thunderstorms, some smoke, we're going to see increased humidity, which really just sets that environment up for new disease infections coming in, right? So, keeping on our spray programs, utilizing those strong fungicides to help finish out the season for the best quality crop we can produce.”

Shauck noted BASF has a host of products to help potato and tree fruit growers during the home stretch of the season. Learn more by listening to our entire conversation with Shauck:

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