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
Category: Aphanomyces
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
Decisions, decisions. There are many early season considerations that will factor into where to put your next crop of peas, lentils, chickpeas, or faba beans. Seed quality, environmental conditions, whether or not to treat seed, and pest concerns are just some that make the list. One of the great things about pulse crops is that… Read More
Planning concerns for next year’s pulse crops stem mostly from disease concerns, especially aphanomyces. 2020 was a really wet year, and there were pockets that saw a lot of moisture, which resulted in increased roots rots and that nasty soil-borne disease — such as aphanomyces — which makes planning for the future crucial. “We saw… Read More
A few of our pea fields looked a bit pale in comparison to the others earlier this season. The crop colour was off, and not just in low lying spots, as one might expect with all the moisture west central Saskatchewan has received. On further investigation, ruling out other reasons like fertility and plant stand,… Read More
If dogs can detect trace amounts of drugs in luggage, could they be trained to sniff out plant disease, too? The short answer is yes — and a research scientist headed up a project to prove it in a one-year, proof of concept study out of Alberta. Mike Harding, research scientist with Alberta Agriculture &… Read More
There are a lot of concerns in the pulse market at the moment. Things such as competition from the Black Sea region, and what’s happening with the election in India, can keep farmers up at night. While you have one eye on the markets, it’s also important to keep the other on agronomy. This is… Read More
Should I or shouldn’t I plant soybeans this spring? This is a question on the minds of many farmers as we head into spring of 2019. For a few years, it looked like soybeans were going to take over many acres across the southern Prairies, but a couple of bad years for soybeans have caused… Read More