Canola Watch quiz – This Week in Agronomy

Here are a few questions the Canola Council of Canada agronomy team had to answer this week:

1. I found these in my sweep net. Should I spray for them?

Yes

No, they're beneficial

Maybe

2. I have a lot of blanks on the canola stem where pods should be forming. What is the cause?

Drought

Hot weather

Late off-label herbicide applications

Sulphur deficiency

Insect feeding

Any of the above

3. I’m at the right crop stage (20 to 50% flower) for fungicide application to prevent sclerotinia stem rot, but conditions had been quite dry up until just a couple weeks ago. Wet weather over the past week or two has likely increased the disease risk and improved my crop outlook, and I'm wondering about a spray, but how do I know the ascospores will be there to cause infection?

Get a petal test

Try the Spornado

Look for apothecia

Assume the spores are present or will be soon

Try any of the above

4. I think my canola is at risk for sclerotinia stem rot, but I haven’t sprayed yet. Canola seems to be at full flower. Is it too late?

Yes

5. I will be spraying fungicide for sclerotinia stem rot. What should I do to improve results? Three of the follow four choices are very important steps to improve fungicide efficacy. One is not so important. Which one is not so important?

Use water rates of 40L (10 gal) per acre

Spray if environmental conditions favour disease infection

Spray before the disease is present

Spray in the morning