Test showed don't Spray Fungicide on Canola! comparing fields! Interesting!

[SASKFARMER3]

Ok canola in area we were told spray scary spray buy all advisors from line companies. Wet conditions breed disease. Spend Mr Farmer thousands upon Thousands of Dollars.

So far this is the results I have seen.

What we used Proline!
New BASF fungicide out 2018.
Aceppella

What I have seen so far is plants dead at swathing or drying up 1 in 30 on average on untreated quarters. Why screw around with 40 acres.

Fields sprayed with any of the above 1 in 32 plants best to 1 in 29 worst.

I would say the test was correct as one in 30 plants will not effect yield. These plants are now just dying and are in the swath.

So is the testing system correct and works?

Were the line companies looking for profit and profit is good at all costs.

Is it all smoke and Mirror.

Or is it more cosmetic the crop looks better?

Will try again next year but so far this is what I have concluded. 2016 was not a heavy year for serious out brake our area. Now some other areas yes way severe. Will try more tests next year probably 1/2 of all our canola acres.

Did any one else use the test and did it prove positive or negative. Because will it become another tool in our tool box to help the fight of over spending on farms. Why spray if you don't need to.

[jake550]

Sprayed every field of canola with Proline.
Left a sprayer pass on a few fields to see difference.
Very visible from the road. Lots of dead plants on unsprayed pass.
Just the odd one where it's sprayed.
Actual net benifit? Who knows...
I believe it "paid" this year to spray in our area but last year was a complete waste of money.

[SASKFARMER3]

Thats kind of what we found in the past some year total waste of cash vs some years it saves your bacon.

So did any one try the test for disease.

If it really works it can save $100,000.00 in expenses that is better in the farmers pocket than the Chem company and dealer networks bank accounts.

[furrowtickler]

Very odd here , after a very dry June , two rains them very dry again in the balance of July , sclero is as bad as it has been in years . Very surprising .
Some fields sprayed , still infected some are good.
One interesting are just west of me , all the same variety - no fungicide , pea stubble has high presure , wheat stubble is moderate but the canola on canola has virtually none .
Sclero resistant varieties here showing very little sclerotina .
Talked to a guy west of Melfort , much the same as here , dry June . He did the petal test and it showed very very little . He sprayed anyway - well anything not sprayed is loaded with sclerotina
Just seems odd after such a dry June that it kicked in so much this year.
Fungicides here were a crap shoot on canola , constant wind made it very hard to get timing even close especially if you were waiting for a plane .
Some applications worked perfect others were a waste of time. But that's usually the case with fungicides and unpredictable timing .

[WiltonRanch]

The worst field for disease I have seen is a nexerra variety on ground that hasn't seen canola for 4 years. Down the road my last seeded field is canola on canola and clean. Never even sprayed that field with fung. It's been wet and humid since June here with the odd dry and hot week but still if sclerotinia is around it should have been present more so. Remember 2004 was a real wreck here but have never seen it like that since. Lots of wheat-canola rotation here and most spray everything with fung now especially on wheat.
Another note this year canola with a good fertility package on ground where cows have been fed can make for one rank crop. Feeding out on the fields is now starting to pay off I think but damn I should have cut back a little on the n.

[sumdumguy]

Time will tell. We are still in lentils. Canola swathing next. It's all good cause we are doing what we love to do. Do our best and take the good with the bad

[agchat]

Neighbor here sowed L140 on a new broke 30 year old pasture. It was so bad with disease it was all twisted and down by middle of July. One hell of a mess.