Test for Sclerotina % in Canola!

[SASKFARMER3]

It seems that a guy from the UofS has a test that you can get. You go to 8 areas of your canola field and take flowers off the plants. Put one from bottom and one middle and one top. You start this after cabbage and just after bolt. You have a three day window. Deliver to Saskatoon. Results faxed back. If your over 50% disease pressure spray. The field is infected at 20% and its serious. If its under 50% put the sprayer away and go home.
Seems the industry has us farmers spraying all over the place.
Its you can sleep better MR farmer if you buy this over priced shit. See tests prove it works so you get 2 to 5 bushels more. Or nothing and you had peace of mind.
Guys farm tests prove it works.
Etc. etc.
Don't get me wrong some times I have seen a bump in yield but most times you sleep better thinking your protected. The great Canola crash in 2012 was not caused by disease but really a fly blown in from USA that causes flowers to abort and die. Not Sclerotina.
You pay the $100k or 150k or greater and go on.
But what if this test actually works.
We are going to try some fields. Cost is up there but hey its a lot less. Last year Canola wasn't worth spraying in our area no disease pressure. Wow that was a fun useless bill to pay.
The Costs on Fungicides is idiotic.
It is the Chem companies gravy. Cheap to make and profit is great.
Any one use this test and how were your results.

[farmaholic]

At the crop stage they want you to normally apply, is there enough time to apply or is it too late if you're supposed to collect flower petals from the bottom, middle and top? Normal application window of 30-50 % bloom leaves alot of "untreated" early flower petals if you apply too late. My experience with canola is better go in early because it would likely be the earlist petal infections that would cause the greatest potential loss. I've seen where the last blossoms, more often than not) never develop into pods.....I call them show flowers....they only make the crop look good but don't contribute anything to yeild.

Just spray...gotta protect that investment---without any concern for increasing that investment without any guarantee of results or payback. Oh yeah....the market doesn't care, who would have thought!?!?!?!?!?!!!

[SASKFARMER3]

I agree they think they have a big crop coming, prices are crashing. Well Farm to Hudson bay and Nipiwan and down to Regina to Radville Weyburn and back. Yea some awesome some nice and some WTF.
Market knows shit.

[farming101]

Already decided not to do canola here. Some in the area is way past prime stage.
Very few fields have been done.
Will do wheat. Have to try and protect quality at all costs.

[Braveheart]

Spraying canola for schlerotina is not about getting a yield bump. It's about preserving the yield you have.

There have been petal tests for on farm use since the 1980's.

This year, in MB, petal tests are sowing incredibly high rates of infection.

[boarderbloke]

farming101, "Will do wheat. Have to try and protect quality at all costs."

really! ??? Can you explain? clearly I'm missing something. Perhaps you meant to type "durum" rather than "wheat".

Stats say there's plenty of wheat in farmers bins from 2015 yet, good quality wheat that farmers didn't want to dump for $6.50-7.00/bus., instead sold anything that had quality issues. Now everyone is forecasting a huge 2016 wheat yield. Also, with this weather, 2016 protein levels will likely be unimpressive.

Why would you be concerned about protecting quality in "wheat", when #1 13.5 and Feed wheat are nearly the same price? and likely to stay disappointedly close.

Wouldn't applying your fungicide dollars to canola, return a bigger benefit to your farm? (unless you're talking durum)

Help me understand the strategy of protecting "wheat quality at all costs".

[farmaholic]

Maybe he was being Captain Sarcasm

[farming101]

Partly sarcasm but serious too.

Experience has been that if your wheat is full of fusarium there is no
market for it that will give any chance of a profit.
I know it is only suppression but that is much much better than letting
the disease run wild.

CWRS wheat requires less than .8% to hold a #2

Anything over 4% is sample, anything over 10% is commercial salvage

[farmaholic]

Now if I could only time my app perfectly I will make the most of suppression.... sarcasm fully intended Captain. Aye aye Captain, please dont make me walk the plank.

[farming101]

Impossible with variable head emergence.
Pick the moment, jump and don't look back. Oh and wear noseplugs!

[farmaholic]

Have a little mercy and quit throwing me concrete PFDs...

Was sure easy selling last years drought wheat....no disease, should have kept it to blend this year's mystery. 15% plus Px....last year. Maybe the Bourgault midrow banders will have fed the crop late enough to encourage Px. Sure is dewy here in the mornings...crop is growing so hard its sweating.

[Guest]

same as here last year , grew the nicest oats I've ever saw and the pricks want to give us same price as rotten mildew oats ???? quality means SFA unless YOU don't have it ?

[MBgrower]

Never test for sclerotinia or fusarium in rrvalley. Spraying is a requirement