Blackleg in canola.

Helping our plants to help themselves

One day, farmers may be able to use natural products to fight blackleg and other diseases

New research that could lead to a biological alternative to chemical fungicides began with work into food safety. “We were interested in whether food-fermenting lactobacilli would produce molecules that prevent fungal growth,” says Dr. Michael Gaenzle, who is leading the research into antifungal lipids at the University of Alberta. Gaenzle’s team came across some molecules […] Read more

blackleg in canola

Blackleg management and agronomy

Agronomy tips... from the field

Three main tools go into a successful blackleg management strategy in canola: seed genetics, seed treatment and foliar fungicides. Blackleg genetics, along with seed treatments, can help you get into the season and established while protecting seedlings from blackleg for the first few weeks after seeding. At the two- to six-leaf stage, consider using a […] Read more


Fusarium infected wheat.

Use those fusarium maps

Know your risk: fusarium maps offer another metric for spraying decisions

What if farmers could predict Mother Nature’s moods in the growing season? The idea is becoming less and less far-fetched with advances that help producers put a number on disease risk. But fusarium head blight (FHB) risk assessment maps are only one factor among many influencing spraying decisions. FHB risk assessment maps have been available […] Read more

Help is here for soybean sudden death

Help is here for soybean sudden death

Bayer’s new ILeVO soybean seed treatment may bring relief to Ontario farmers

While sudden death syndrome in soybeans hasn’t yet been a scourge on the Prairies, it has spread across Ontario and it could be on its way to a soybean field near you. When sudden death syndrome hits Manitoba, farmers might be looking for Bayer’s new ILeVO seed treatment fungicide. This product is a Group 7 […] Read more


This photo shows Goodeve wheat, not sprayed with fungicide. The photo was taken on August 2, 2012.

Looking for solutions for fusarium

Fusarium head blight is on the rise, and Les Henry is looking for a solution

The title of this piece might suggest that the author is an authority on plant disease, but that is not true. For this I have my farmer hat on. There is nothing like a little skin in the game to force one to read the literature and learn. My rotation had been wheat/peas/wheat/canola for 15 […] Read more

A high clearance sprayer on a field in a prairie landscape

Spraying your fungicide in “the zone”

With Bayer’s new “Zone Spray,” farmers can skip the fungicide in some parts of the field

If Warren Bills has his way, farmers will have a better way to forecast sclerotinia than the old wet boots and weather test. “We believe there is a better way to manage the risk of that disease and the returns growers get when they spray,” Bills told agronomists and industry at Bayer’s Ag Summit in […] Read more


Leaf spotting: what you need to know

Leaf spotting: what you need to know

The fight against tan leaf spot, and what you can do about it in your fields

We’ve been working with leaf spots for the last 26 years,” says Dr. Myriam Fernandez, an Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada research scientist, and lead author of the a recently released 12-year study of the impacts on climate change, region and agronomic practices on leaf spotting in wheat and durum, conducted between 2001 and 2012. Leaf […] Read more

Fungicides in canola and soybeans

Fungicides in canola and soybeans

Many hybrids and varieties are developed to be resistant to potentially damaging insects and diseases, but this isn’t always possible. Fungicides and insecticides are important tools that pick up where genetics end, protecting crops against disease and pests when plants are not resistant. Several diseases can affect canola, with the most widespread being sclerotinia white […] Read more


Winter wheat seed: treatment pays

Winter wheat seed: treatment pays

A dual fungicide/insecticide seed treatment builds hardier winter wheat stands

Despite the benefits of winter wheat — weed competitiveness, high yield potential and a schedule that allows growers to spread out work load and capital costs — it’s still not a staple crop for many western Canadian farmers. Farmers say concerns about planting logistics and poor stand establishment are obstacles to growing winter wheat. To […] Read more

lentils in a bowl

Lentils: the crop year in review

2016 brought a wet season and a damp harvest. Lentil crops didn’t like that

Lentil growers had a hard time pulling off a good crop in 2016. A wet growing season and damp harvest plagued many farmers. “Without a doubt there were some good quality lentils produced in 2016, but the percentage of high quality lentils produced would be much lower than what we typically see in Western Canada,” […] Read more