Saskatchewan On-Farm Research Results

Canola fungicide applications are one of the largest in-season crop protection investments growers make each year. The question is simple: Does fungicide actually pay? Recent Saskatchewan on-farm trials suggest the answer depends heavily on disease pressure and environmental conditions.

3 Key Findings

1. Yield Response Was Often Small

Across recent Saskatchewan field-scale trials, fungicide applications commonly increased yield by approximately 1 to 2 bushels per acre.

Examples included:

• Yield increase of approximately 1.0 bu/ac
• Yield increase of approximately 1.2 bu/ac
• Yield increase of approximately 1.5 bu/ac

While these responses were measurable, they were often not large enough to cover fungicide and application costs.

2. Profitability Was Often Negative

When fungicide costs were included, several trial locations showed:

In these situations, growers would have been financially better off not spraying.

3. Disease Pressure Matters

The strongest predictor of fungicide return was not yield potential. It was disease pressure. Where disease levels remained low:

• Yield differences were small
• Grain quality was similar
• Fungicide frequently failed to generate a positive return

Where disease pressure becomes moderate to high, the economics can change dramatically.

What Yield Increase Is Needed To Break Even?

Assuming:

• Fungicide + application cost: $20-$25/ac
• Canola price: $13/bu

A grower generally needs approximately:

1.5 to 2.0 bu/ac of additional yield just to break even.

Anything above that generates profit.

Anything below that loses money.

When Is Fungicide Most Likely To Pay?

Research and grower experience suggest the highest probability of return occurs when:

✓ Dense canopy closes early

✓ Frequent rainfall during flowering

✓ High humidity

✓ Heavy crop residue

✓ History of sclerotinia or blackleg

✓ Yield potential exceeds 50 bu/ac

Risk increases substantially when multiple factors occur together.

Bottom Line

The data does not suggest fungicide should automatically be applied to every canola field.

Instead, the strongest returns occur when disease risk is high enough to justify the investment.

In low-pressure environments, fungicide often increases yield slightly but fails to increase profit.

Read The Full Saskatchewan On-Farm Research Report

Explore the complete trial results, methodology, site data, economics and disease ratings from Saskatchewan growers and agronomists in the 2025 On-Farm Booklet below