Fungicides are integral for preventing disease in many pulse crops, however, just like how weeds have become resistant to certain herbicides, diseases can become resistant to commonly-used fungicide chemistries. The majority of pulse fungicides on the market in Western Canada contain a Group 11 — the category of fungicide most likely to be overcome by… Read More
Category: Crop Schools
As the saying goes, if you want to cut down on eating cookies, don’t buy them. In that spirit, if winter wheat is in the farm plan, there needs to be seed on-farm well ahead of the ideal seeding window. That’s just one of five key planning steps that Monica Klaas, of Ducks Unlimited Canada, shares… Read More
There is no room for error when it comes to producing hybrid seed corn. It’s a complicated business, and one of the keys to success is effectively detasseling rows of female plants of one inbred line so it can be fertilized by the second male inbred line, creating a hybrid. On this episode of The… Read More
Researchers at Laval University in Quebec have developed a hydroponic lab test that could allow growers and agronomists to better deploy genetic resistance and tolerance in the fight against phytophthora root rot in soybeans. There are three main ways to curb phytophthora, explains Geneviève Arsenault-Labrecque, co-founder of AYOS Technologies, a spinoff founded by students at Laval, in… Read More
When it comes to planting and establishing corn in a cereal rye cover crop, the growing corn can be adversely impacted by rye’s allelopathic effects, the release of chemicals that inhibit the plant’s growth. But rye can also limit the amount of light, and quality of light, available to corn when it’s growing in the… Read More
Root rot continues to be a concern for pulse growers and although work is being done on creating varieties that are more resistant to diseases such as aphanomyces, that reality is likely at least eight years away. In the interim, growers are encouraged to employ a comprehensive rotation schedule to best combat root rot in… Read More
When getting ready for the new crop year, understanding the proper application, amount and maybe even the type of phosphorus on the canola crop can have a significant impact on yield, come harvest. On this episode of the Canola School, Warren Ward, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada, goes through some minimums and maximums… Read More
Keeping a close eye on crop canopy development can help growers better manage soybean crops. From helping select the best row spacing for a specific variety, to improving weed control there’s much to learn from understanding the speed at which a soybean variety closes the row as well as plant characteristics and architecture. On this… Read More
Nothing about drought is fun or easy, especially when you’re gearing up for your next seeding season with less than ideal soil moisture conditions. However, research is being done on how farmers could adjust their seeding rates to best maximize their wheat yields following a drought. On this episode of RealAgriculture’s Wheat School, we are… Read More
There’s no doubt the 2021 drought across the Prairies had widespread negative impacts. Heading into the 2022 season there was a lot of concern for herbicide carryover, but as Warren Ward, agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada explains, there is some positive carryover to keep in mind: nitrogen carryover. Across Saskatchewan especially, there… Read More
Although not an overly common disease, wheat streak mosaic virus can cause an immense amount of damage to final yield. Reports in southern Alberta have indicated the appearance of the virus. Although alarms aren’t being set off, it’s important to be aware of it, as the virus can spread quickly and easily. The initial signs… Read More
Biostimulants designed to enhance performance and yield are nothing new in the corn management world. But growers can expect to see more and more of these products as manufacturers look to bring to market management solutions that alleviate the abiotic stresses plants experience when growing conditions are either too hot, cold, wet or dry. On… Read More
From a crop nutrition perspective, nitrogen losses as N2O or nitrous oxide pale in comparison to what’s lost in N2 form, but N2O has a much greater impact on the total greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizer. As part of this Wheat School episode filmed at Manitoba Crop Diagnostic School, Manitoba Agriculture’s John Heard shares a… Read More
When thinking about protecting yield from disease, one of the first things to understand is where yield actually comes from. Jeremy Boychyn, agronomy research extension specialist with Alberta Wheat and Barley Commissions, understanding how the each leaf of the wheat plant builds yield helps inform decisions on how to best manage risks to yield. “One… Read More
Water hardness is a factor that needs to be considered when spraying, especially when it comes to glyphosate. The high amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium in hard water will tie up weak acid salts such as glyphosate, making it ineffective at killing weeds, and potentially increasing the risk of weeds developing herbicide resistance, explains Kim… Read More