Because blackleg has been around for a long time, it often doesn’t get the attention it deserves. So we’re shining the spotlight back on this old foe in this episode of Canola School, with Canola Council of Canada agronomy specialist Warren Ward and RealAgriculture Saskatchewan field editor Dale Leftwich. They cover the continued importance of… Read more »
Category: Canola Disease, Weeds & Insects
Canola School: Clubroot cases popping up in Manitoba
Now is the time to check canola fields for symptoms of clubroot, as a new streak of cases have been found in Manitoba over the last few weeks. The clubroot map for the province will likely be changing this fall, as the soil-borne disease has been found in a new municipality, says Holly Derksen, field… Read more »
Canola School: Got pods? It’s time to scout for bertha armyworm
We’re nearly through the annual flight for bertha armyworm, and numbers are certainly concerning in some areas. If you’ve got canola headed in to podding, you need to scout — this nasty pest can cause a lot of damage in a short time. As canola moves past flowering and into podding, bertha armyworm will move from… Read more »
Canola School: A surprising mid-season pest update
Some pests like it dry, some like it warm, and some need it windy to get where they want to go. And sometimes insect pests can surprise you and not nearly be as bad as anticipated. That’s the story of the summer of 2018 — so far — according to Alberta Agriculture insect specialist, Scott Meers…. Read more »
Canola School: How to help beneficial insects help you
There are a lot of bugs on the prairie landscape — most are beneficial, but the few harmful ones tend to get most of the attention. Sometimes it’s important to take a minute to find out who your friends are. There is a battle being waged in your fields, even if you can’t see it…. Read more »
Canola School: Fumigation in the fight against clubroot
When a field is confirmed infected with clubroot, it’s recommended that producers implement (or continue) strict sanitation protocols, crop rotations, and the responsible use of Plasmodiophora brassicae-resistant canola varieties. There may be further options, however, like the use of fumigants traditionally used in horticulture. “The first fumigant I look at is Vapam, and the Vapam is… Read more »
Canola School: Lessons learned about weed seed destruction machines
With increasing cases of herbicide resistance, machines designed to destroy weed seeds at harvest could be a valuable tool. But like any technology that is not yet widely adopted, there are also some lessons to be learned and challenges to overcome, as researchers with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada confirmed last year. 2017 marked the first… Read more »
Canola School: Research looking at liming to suppress clubroot
Although it’s been proven that high pH soil will not stop the spread of clubroot disease, liming has been used as a tool to curb the disease in other parts of the world. Early results from a research project underway in Alberta show raising the pH of acidic fields with lime could potentially aid in… Read more »
Canola School: The mysterious canola flower (not swede) midge
Seven years after swede midge was identified in Ontario, three adult midge were found in Saskatchewan, in 2007. It was then believed the insects were the same species (Contarinia nasturtii), but researchers have since discovered differences between the two. “We have now behavioural evidence — we know that what we thought was swede midge in… Read more »
Canola School: New test unlocks ability to match variety resistance with blackleg type
Researchers with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada at Saskatoon have developed a lab test for identifying blackleg disease races in canola that complements the new blackleg resistance-gene labels on canola seed. Knowing both factors — the blackleg races present in a field and the disease packages available in seed — will allow farmers to select varieties with resistance… Read more »
Canola School: Check seed labels to rotate blackleg resistance
You may notice some new information on canola seed bags this year — a label that lists what type of blackleg resistance the variety contains. We’ll spare you all the quirky names and numbers for the actual genetic resistance, but Dilantha Fernando, with the University of Manitoba, says farmers can use the alphabetical designation of… Read more »
Canola School: Welcome to Clubroot Anonymous
Switch to longer rotations, reduce soil movement, grow resistant varieties — the list of keys to managing against clubroot disease has become familiar for many canola growers in Western Canada, but an Alberta farmer with years of experience farming with high clubroot concentrations has another piece of advice: don’t be afraid to talk about it…. Read more »
Canola School: Winter canola and the eastern experience
When we think of canola, we think Western Canada. And there’s no doubt that the prairies are the canola capital, but Meghan Moran, canola and edible bean specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, reminds us that there are still canola growers in Ontario, too. While the all-time high of 90,000… Read more »
Canola School: Identifying the new mystery midge
Researchers with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada are in the process of identifying and describing a tiny midge species that was first confirmed in canola fields in parts of Western Canada last year. It’s not swede midge, as was previously thought. This new species belongs to the same Contarinia genus, but is more robust, has hairier… Read more »
Canola School: Scout for blackleg at harvest
The canola pods are almost done filling, if not at full maturity, in many areas of the prairies, and harvest is beginning. We often think of scouting as something we have to do earlier in the season when there are still control options, but don’t always remember the importance of knowing what’s going on in… Read more »