After years of dry to extremely dry conditions in the pulse growing regions of Saskatchewan, it’s unlikely anyone is going to complain about a wet spring. The shift from dry to more average or even wet conditions creates some fantastic yield potential for growers, but it also creates a perfect environment for root rots, including… Read More
Category: Aphanomyces
Scientists and plant breeders have their sights set on root rots, given the risk that one in particular — aphanomyces — poses to pea and lentil production in Western Canada and the Northern Plains. Federal funding for a new five-year Pulse Crop Research Cluster, leveraged by funding from farmer check-off organizations, was announced earlier this… Read More
Western Canadian soils are generally neutral to slightly basic in pH values. On average, there’s plenty of buffering capacity to the soil in the west but that doesn’t mean there aren’t pockets of acidic conditions. What’s more, research is proving out to show that long-term zero-till combined with applied fertilizers is creating an acidic area… Read More
Identifying aphanomyces in a lentil or pea crop is just the first step in determining what to do next. As we saw in this video, farmers in Montana and North Dakota are facing similar pressures to other pulse-growing regions in being forced to extend rotations in order to avoid the worst of the disease. But… Read More
Aphanomyces is a destructive, persistent root disease of pulses that’s wreaking havoc on pea and lentil crops in Saskatchewan, Montana and North Dakota. In the last 20 years, pulses have become a very common rotation crop for these areas, as they do well in dry conditions. However, with the introduction of more pea and lentil… Read More
Growing a new crop can be tricky for a number of different reasons. There are so many unknowns, and at the end of the day, a farmer needs to know they will make a profit off the crop. Robyne Bowness Davidson, pulse specialist at Lakeland College, has been working with lupins for 20 years. The… Read More
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
Welcome back to The Agronomists! We’re kicking off 2023 with a focus on profitability. Is top yield the driver, or is long-term thinking a better bet for profit planning? Joining host Lyndsey Smith to dig in to this topic is Chad Anderson, of Anderson Agronomy Services, and Edgar Hammermeister, Saskatchewan farmer and agrologist with Western… 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
NexusBioAg, a division of Univar Solutions, and MustGrow Biologics Corp. have reached an exclusive marketing and distribution agreement in the Canadian canola and pulse market for TerraMG, a mustard-derived soil biopesticide. Designed to combat clubroot and aphanomyces of canola and pea, respectively, the product is not yet registered with Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency. “Growers… Read More