The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture has been hosting meetings this winter to help farmers keep up with the most current science and best management practices to deal with clubroot. Many of the meetings have been conducted with the participation of Canola Council of Canada agronomists and other industry specialists. Allie Noble, crops extension specialist with… Read More
Verticillium stripe, also known as verticillium wilt, is a relatively new-to-Canada canola disease. First identified on a research farm in Manitoba in 2014, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) conducted a nation-wide survey to determine the extensiveness of the pathogen in 2015, and found it to be in multiple locations. In this episode of Canola… Read More
Every once in a while a group with a real passion for something get a chance to get together and talk about what they care about. If you get to be in room with with them, you can’t help but feel the energy and, most likely, learn something. The Western Forum on Pest Management (WFPM)… Read More
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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