Category: Pulse School

Trying to “cure” aphanomyces of pea and lentil is similar to trying to find a cure for something as complex as cancer. The organism is hardy, spreads easily, and persists in soil for a long time. Dr. Sabine Banniza, with the University of Saskatchewan Crop Development Centre, says the root rot pathogen is likely native… Read More

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

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