Foliar fungicide applications to improve yield response in the absence of disease risk are an increasingly important issue in the U. S. Corn Belt where about 90 million acres of hybrid corn (USDA, 2013) are grown each year (Fig. 1). In any one year, foliar fungicides are applied on approximately 10% of that acreage. This case study will help students understand the possible role of “plant health benefits” of foliar fungicides as another reason to use fungicides in addition to reducing disease risk and improving yields
