First found in Canada in southern Alberta in the 1990s, the pea leaf weevil is continuing to expand its territory to the east. The invasive pest whose larvae feed on the rhizobia in nitrogen-fixing root nodules has since spread across most of the pea-growing areas of Alberta and Saskatchewan. It was first detected in Manitoba,… Read More
Category: Pulse School
Every year, pulse growers are on the lookout for root rots which can wreak havoc on not just the current crop but also have impact on future crop rotation decisions. Aphanomyces and fusarium are the main root rots of concern, and can be tough to distinguish from each other. In this episode of the Pulse School, Sabine… Read More
Disease management can make or break any given crop year, and on this episode of the Pulse School we are taking a look at chickpeas and the most important disease to scout for, ascochyta blight. Dr. Michelle Hubbard is a research scientist in pulse pathology with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. She says disease prevention starts before putting… Read More
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
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
Deciding when and how much pesticide to spray on a pulse crop can have a significant impact on the yield come harvest, but aside from yield, growers need to consider and be aware of maximum residue limits, or MRLs, for each specific crop to ensure they don’t fall outside of the acceptable range. On this… Read More
Pea aphids love to feed off the sap flowing to new pods on the plant. The trouble is, just two aphids per plant at the right stage can siphon off as much as five per cent of yield. Laura Schmidt, production specialist with the Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers, says that modern pea varieties are… Read More
A soil pH outside the neutral range can cause significant issue with nutrient availability. Western Canadian soils are largely in this range, however, over time, nitrogen fertilizer applications can create soil acidity issues that are very expensive to fix. Dr. Manbir Rakkar, assistant research professor at Montana State University-Bozeman, explains that managing acidic soil conditions is… Read More
Timing crop protecting sprays is an important decision to make to ensure the health and quality of the crop. While sometimes weather conditions don’t allow farmers to be as precise in timing as they’d like to be, there are some variables that should be taken into consideration when weighing the options of getting back out… Read More
After the crop is in and you start to see the fruits, or emergence, of your labour, it’s time to keep a watchful eye out for any stress points to best be able to detect root rot. On this episode of the Pulse School, Mike Palmier, owner of MaxAg Consulting, goes through when to scout for… Read More
Maximizing nitrogen uptake is a main priority for pulse growers and ensuring success starts with being knowledgeable about identifying proper nodulation. Mike Palmier, with MaxAg Consulting, joins us for this episode of the Pulse School, where we discuss when to scout for nodulation, why it’s important, how to assess if nodules are healthy. What happens if… Read More
An emerging technology yet to be released in Canada looks to up the ante on spraying herbicides by using an algorithm that is able to identify and spot-spray just the weeds in a growing crop. On this episode of the Pulse School, we speak with Tom Wolf, owner of Agrimetrix Research & Training, about the new… Read More
If you’re a pea grower, you’ve seen it: the notching that almost looks like someone took a hole puncher to your plants as they unfold. That feeding is characteristic to the pea leaf weevil. As Lyle Jensen with AgroPlus Inc explains in this Pulse School episode, you’ll see the pea leaf weevil during the day,… Read More
In ideal conditions, the recommendation is to roll pea acres shortly after seeding. But what happens when a portion of the Prairie’s pulse growing acres are facing extreme drought? Jack Payne, agronomy solutions manager with South Country Co-op Ltd, says some growers may opt to roll later — because if you roll right after the… Read More
In the pulse industry, the use of inoculants is becoming more and more widespread. However, they can be a complicated input to wrap our heads around sometimes. Different than other products, inoculants are living organisms that help provide crops such as peas, lentils, faba beans, chickpeas, and soybeans with the required amount of viable bacteria… Read More