Guessing per cent bloom of a canola field from the field margin is a fantastic game to play for fun, but when it comes to sclerotinia control, if you’re off even by 10% it could mean you miss the critical period for protecting petals.
With warm to hot temps rolling across the Prairies, crops are advancing very quickly and canola canopies are closing. This rapid growth means timing a fungicide application at about 30% bloom requires being ready well ahead of time.
In this Canola School video, Holly Derksen, field crop pathologist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Inititaives, shows us how to measure per cent bloom in a field (hint: count open flowers on the main stem only), what part of the plant you are targeting and why 50% bloom or more really can be far too late to spray.
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