The scattered showers over the weekend and the higher relative humidity are causing the risk models to indicate favorable conditions for tan spot and leaf rust. Over the last four mornings, favorable conditions for both diseases have occurred across much of northwest Minnesota and eastern North Dakota. Meanwhile, the risk for Fusarium head blight remains low. Most of the barley and spring wheat reached anthesis last week and the window to apply a fungicide has closed. You may now have second thoughts. Should you have sprayed a fungicide to control those leaf diseases even if the risk for FHB was and continues to be low. After all, nearly all the products labeled for suppression of FHB also provide good to excellent control of tan spot, Septoria leaf blotch, and leaf rust. Unlike FHB, tan spot, Septoria leaf blotch, and leaf rust are polycyclic (multiple cycle) diseases. This means that all three can have (and most often do have) multiple cycles, or generations, per growing seaso