fungicide usage

[dfarms11]

Who here treats their wheat and
canola with a fungicide? Is it a
given thing to do nowadays or does it
still depend on moisture? We haven't
really used any but are hearing that
more guys are. Also when do you use
them. Do you tank mix with your
herbicide or spray at flag?

[jamesb]

a fungicide application at flag leaf has been considered benificial. Evedently you are not in a fusarium area as this disease has caused great yield and grade loss for years. This requires application to the head pre flowering. A tank mix with herbicide can help but I believe in most cases the disease pressure is low at the earlier stage of the growing season.

[Partners]

We added Tilt to all our Wht. and Bly this yr..Yellow leaves at the early stage hurt the plants...plus we have High moisture and humidity with rain in the forecast for the rest of the week..The half rate now, and maybe the full rate later if needed...

[tman]

The thing I don't like about fungicides is how do you actually know if they are working. Herbicides and insecticides are easy but fungicides? Every time I've had a herbicide (and insecticide once) not work, I've gotten the grower product back. But how do you do it with fungicides? Unless you just go with head in the sand routine and think I've bought and paid for this thing so it works without a doubt.

Back home the last 4 years I decided to not spray the canola. Each year there looked to be the same amount of sclerotinia infected plants at swathing time as my clients who's fields were sprayed once or twice on the seed fields.

Money in, money out.

[Partners]

A check strip will tell you if it works...

[tman]

Then a check strip is needed on every field and properly done as to verify that any yield difference isn't caused by some other factor. And the lower cost fungicides, such as half rate with a cereal herbicide is impossible to determine by a check strip. I had one client do a few check strips across his 1200 acres of wheat one year. I asked him after harvest if he saw a difference. He said maybe a couple bushels on his new JD yield monitor. I said "you probably see that much variation going up and down the field anyways" and he said yes.