Coker 9553, the most susceptible cultivar to common foliar diseases considered in the study, was generally statistically different from the other cultivars and it also provided Selleck Ruxolitinib the highest average. However, it did not provide the highest average net return from treatment. In fact, overall, none of the cultivars produced
a net return from treatment that was statistically different from the other three cultivars considered. A probability analysis based on Bayesian inference was also conducted to further assess whether a preventive application of a relatively inexpensive foliar fungicide to winter wheat in Northeast Texas is likely to result in a yield gain necessary to cover or exceed fungicide application costs. A Bayesian probability analysis has the advantage of incorporating some of the uncertainty that is associated with the treatment means. However, it should be emphasized that the cultivar’s susceptibility, the timing of the fungicide applications, grain prices, and fungicide costs can influence the probability of a profitable fungicide application. When the plants were sprayed at approximately Feekes Growth stage 10, wheat price was $0.25/kg, and tebuconazole and its application cost were $17.29, our probability analysis indicated that positive overall net returns for the cultivars analyzed are likely, and that most of them have the potential
to produce a yield gain that would break even on the tebuconazole spraying decision. Based on these probability AG-014699 research buy results, it is recommended to apply a preventive application of tebuconazole. Foliar fungicides could be a particularly valuable tool managing winter wheat in regions of moderate to high disease pressure. Our study also made several contributions to the current literature review on the economics of fungicide applications in wheat production. First, the study contributes
with additional findings related to the economic effect of fungicide Verteporfin applications to prevent fungal diseases on wheat production. Second, the study illustrates the applicability of a Bayesian inference approach in evaluating net returns from fungicide applications. Finally, our study assists wheat farmers in Northeast Texas with economic tools that can be used in formulating educated expectations about their spaying decision and future net returns. The study analyzed four red winter wheat cultivars (Magnolia, Terral LA841, Pioneer 25R47, Coker 9553), but due to data availability it was limited to two years (2011 and 2012). There were additional cultivars that were excluded from the analysis because they were not planted during 2011 and 2012. However, additional years can be analyzed when cultivars are grouped into categories. For instance, Thompson et al. (2014) were able to analyze data from 2005 to 2012 by grouping cultivars into three categories (resistant, intermediate, and susceptible cultivars) and by assuming that two different fungicides provide similar disease control.