Depending on the crop, powdery mildew may not be much of a yield killer for grain growers — but dust from the fungal disease can build up to cause fires in combines.
Tag Archives fungal diseases
Powdery mildew can be combine fire risk
Dust from the disease can ignite to cause combine fires; producers advised to frequently clean their equipment
Verticillium may undermine canola blackleg resistance
Verticillium stripe may compromise blackleg resistance protection in canola, new research out of Manitoba suggests
University of Manitoba research finds verticillium stripe in canola can break down blackleg resistance, creating challenges for disease management and yield protection on the Prairies.
Steps to stop blackleg in canola
Agronomists and canola growers have many proven steps to manage blackleg disease in canola. Genetic resistance has been an extremely effective tool, and will remain so — as long as that resistance matches the blackleg races in a field
Blackleg disease, caused by the pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans, is common in canola across the Prairies. It can cause very high yield loss in cultivars susceptible to the predominant blackleg races in a field. The two best defences are: Seed treatment and early-season fungicides can also help, especially if the first two are compromised. This article will […] Read more
Keep verticillium stripe in focus this year
Practical Research: Don't let the fungi hitchhike between fields on your equipment -- or anyone else's
Where did such a destructive disease come from? Verticillium stripe was first reported in Manitoba in 2014, some 10 years ago. The fungus, Verticillium longisporum, has now been confirmed present in six provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec. In a survey in 2023 across Manitoba, verticillium stripe was found in 38 per […] Read more
Take verticillium stripe in canola seriously
A Manitoba farmer warns others about the threat this disease poses to canola production
Last year, Collin Shirtliff knew the threat to his canola crops posed by verticillium stripe but he wasn’t overly concerned. However, that changed late in the summer when he began harvesting the crop on the 3,600-acre farm he and his family operate near Starbuck, Man. What looked like an extremely promising crop weeks earlier suddenly […] Read more
The sweet spot for fungicide use
Variety resistance and the level of disease pressure impacts fungicide effectiveness
Early fungicide applications reduce blackleg severity when disease pressure is high and the varieties lack resistance, a researcher told delegates at the International Rapeseed Conference in Saskatoon. But fungicide has little effect when varieties are resistant or moderately resistant, he said. “We need to find kind of a sweet spot with fungicide use,” said Dr. […] Read more
A smut by any other name
Smut is one of the few diseases that’s not a hot button issue this winter. But true loose smut can cause headaches for barley growers. Here’s how to keep it out of your fields
Covered, loose, false, true, stinking, stem, common. Apparently, a smut exists for every occasion. Smut is a broad term that refers to a variety of fungal diseases that affect cereal grains on the Canadian prairies. Each smut is caused by a specific fungi which attacks a particular grain and produces slightly different effects. One thing all smuts have in common: […] Read more
New fusarium control on the horizon
Farmers who spray fungicides for fusarium may soon have a new biocontrol to consider
Fusarium head blight is a perennial problem for cereal growers across the Prairies. A fungal disease that can impact many small grain cereals including wheat, rye, barley and oats, fusarium is caused by infection by species of the fungal pathogen Fusarium, and can result in yield losses and reductions in grade and end-use quality. It […] Read more
Sclerotinia in Manitoba
Sclerotinia doesn’t just hit canola. Find out how to avoid this problem on your farm
Sclerotinia is a fungal stem rot disease caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. It occurs throughout the Prairies, but its severity from year to year is variable as its development depends on the right environmental conditions occurring at its germination and infection phases. Not just canola Sclerotinia gets most of its attention as a disease in canola, […] Read more
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