Managing clubroot? Choose broad-spectrum genetic resistance

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Where clubroot is a risk, are you stretching canola rotations or using a clubroot-resistant variety?

Realistically, you should be doing both — and not all clubroot resistance is created equal. While industry and plant breeders should be commended for the speed at which clubroot-resistant varieties were introduced, we know now that that early, single-gene resistance is already no longer a match for the various pathotypes of clubroot lurking in the soil of Alberta’s intensive clubroot zone.

And that’s where BrettYoung’s 6076 CR, available through most retailers, really shines. “For those areas where you know you’ve got (pathotype) 3A, you’re going to need something with the broadest spectrum of resistance possible,” says Rene Mabon, agronomic and regulatory services manager for BrettYoung.

Recent screening of clubroot pathotypes in Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan shows that there are several strains of clubroot on the Prairies. “We know that pathotype 3A has been found in more fields around Edmonton, and that’s significant because it’s already overcoming available resistance,” he says.

Mabon says that 6076 CR contains the advanced genetics needed to resist the 3A, 3H, and 5X pathotypes, providing a true defence against this yield-robbing disease. In an area at risk of clubroot, or potentially infected but not confirmed, using a resistant variety should help keep inoculum levels low for as long as possible, he says.

In an already infested field, it’s vital to extend the canola rotation as long as possible, but when you do grow canola, you need a resistant variety — and one that offers that broad-based resistance package, such as 6076 CR.

In the interview below hear from Rene Mabon, agronomic services manager, and Eric Gregory, marketing director for BrettYoung, for more on why variety selection is so important when growing a profitable canola crop now and into the future.

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