To understand:

• Will I get an economic return from applying a fungicide to my canola crop? 
• Do I need a seed treatment and/or fungicide amended fertiliser?
• Do I need a vegetative foliar fungicide application? 
• Upper canopy blackleg fungicide application? 
• Should I apply a fungicide for UCI protection? 
• What are the steps to determining a UCI spray decision? 
• How can I determine if I should have sprayed for UCI?

• The canola industry is now more reliant on fungicides, in some regions there is less emphasis on cultural practices to minimise disease.
• The decision to use a fungicide is not clear cut. You must first understand the disease risk profile of your crop.
• Fungicide decisions at seeding time need to be made prior to sowing and therefore prior to any disease scouting.
• Blackleg crown canker results from infection during early seedling growth. Prior to sowing, use the BlacklegCM decision support tool to identify high risk paddocks and explore management strategies to reduce yield loss.
• Early vegetative (4-10 leaf) foliar fungicide application should be based on the risk profile of your crop, after scouting for leaf lesions and the potential yield of the crop.
• Fungicide application for upper canopy infection is separate to the decision-making process for crown canker. Upper canopy infection fungicide application can result in very variable yield returns. You must understand your risk before applying a
fungicide.
• Our knowledge on upper canopy infection (UCI) is improving and it is likely that decision making will become more reliable. A UCI App is expected to be released via GRDC investment when we have enough confidence on recommendations to aid decision making.