We have all seen the disease triangle more than we care to recall in the marketing and advertising from our friends the chemical companies.  While we may be immune to the image itself, we really need to stop and consider its message. That message is: there is ALWAYS the opportunity for disease to propagate and set up shop in your fields. Wind, rain, soil, boots, insects, animals and equipment are all methods of transportation to disease spores, so we need to be cognizant that of the fact that the disease has many opportunities to infect, no just when the "ideal" conditions are present.

But, having previously been a seed rep, crop rep, chemical rep, field scout etc. I have heard many and all justifications for not spraying fungicide.  On the flip side of the coin, I have also heard to woeful cries of the canola producer who wished he had sprayed every acre - after the fact. Below is a compilation of these laments and woes from the last few years - see if you recognize your own voice in some of these. But also, pay close attention to the reasons you SHOULD spray a sclerotinia fungicide - I don't type just because I like seeing the clicking of the keys drive the dog crazy, I do it to remind producers of the reasons they need to protect their investment. And to remind you of why, in November of last year, you told me you would never not spray again.

5 reasons to spray fungicide on your canola for sclerotinia in 2011

1- Even if your bald spot is dry and sunburnt, your boots will still get wet in your canola. Remember – canola has a microclimate under all that crop canopy that is the perfect moist, warm environment to host spores, mushrooms and yield-robbing sclerotinia. Even if its been dry, hot and windy in your part of the world, chances are its damp, moist and disease-y under your canola leaves.

2 - There are golf tees off the green! But even if you don’t see the tee-shaped mushrooms – the risk is there. Trust me. Looks can be deceiving. Often, the mushrooms (apothecia) don’t release spores when you are looking for them – spores can also reside in the soil for up to five years, or they can travel on the wind like other diseases. So, even if there are no mushrooms in your fields – how confident are you in your neighbours scouting abilities?

3 - You spent big bucks to plant it - take care of it! Certified hybrid genetics, 2 applications of herbicide, maybe some insecticide - we get it. You're tired of spraying. But don't give up now! You can lose a significant percentage of yield to sclerotinia if it infects your canola.  So when your field is yellow - you should be spraying it.

4 - You will make your AGSI agronomist feel good about themselves. You know the reasons you need a fungicide, and so do we. We have been telling you for years. Showing you in your own fields and your neighbours. Let your AGSI agronomist know that their words will no longer go unheeded!

5 - Because you wish you had last year...

5 reasons you didn’t spray fungicide in 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007....

- It didn’t rain yesterday

- You were at the lake

- You are sick of spraying

- You don’t want to have to combine 60 bushel canola, it seems like a lot more work

- Canola prices are too high, then you'll have to get rid of all that cash before year end

It's like losing those last 10 pounds. You will eventually get to the gym. You will run to the mailbox and back...tomorrow. You will stop eating the doughnuts at AGSI Provost. You will spray fungicide on your canola this year.  Sound familiar??