Brassicogethes aeneus, commonly referred to as the pollen beetle and formerly known as Meligethes aeneus, is a major pest of canola in countries like Scandinavia, and, is now present in eastern Canada. And, though they are not yet a problem in western Canada, entomologists are suggesting we become familiar with what to look for. “One nice thing… Read More

With findings of clubroot disease in parts of Western Canada where it has not been a problem before, at what point should a farmer in these new clubroot areas switch to growing clubroot-resistant canola varieties? To make that decision, you must first assess and prioritize the risks to your canola, suggests Anastasia Kubinec, oilseed specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, in this Canola… Read More

Testing for clubroot falls into an interesting classification — it’s a disease, yes, but it’s in soil. Do you send samples to a soil lab or a seed lab? In this edition of Under the Microscope, Holly Gelech, business development manager with Biovision Seed Labs, walks us through how labs test for clubroot and while… Read More

Although one of the most widespread micronutrient deficiencies globally, boron deficiency is rare in western Canadian soils. The odds of getting a response from the addition of boron is low for general applications, according to the Canola Council of Canada, and low-moderate for in season stress response. Find the entire Canola School library, here! Boron… Read More

Although canola’s calcium requirements are relatively high (about double the level of sulphur and phosphorous, according to the Canola Council of Canada), deficiencies are rarely seen in western Canada. When deficiencies do occur, it is often as a result of highly saturated soils, which do not allow the plant to take up adequate nutrients. That… Read More

Crop rotation remains the most powerful tool in the fight against clubroot disease in Western Canadian canola fields, even with new resistant varieties being brought to market. As part of this episode of the Agronomy Geeks West podcast, host Lyndsey Smith caught up with Dr. Stephen Strelkov of the University of Alberta. His work documenting… Read More

Syngenta Canada has announced its first clubroot-resistant canola variety, SY4105, will be available for spring 2015. This variety is the fourth canola variety in Syngenta’s portfolio. SY4105 is resistant to common clubroot pathotypes. Certain other pathotypes have been identified in Alberta, and work is ongoing to screen SY4105 against them to determine if it is… Read More

A joint federal-provincial funding announcement has pledged $250,000 in research funding and $969,000 for equipment for a Manitoba lab aimed at identifying and addressing problems caused by canola diseases and pests. Research funding is provided under Growing Forward 2 – Growing Actions and will be used to take samples from across the province to determine… Read More