Pea root rot.

Researching root rot control in peas

Evaluating the benefits of seed treatments, soil amendments and soil tests

There’s still a lot to learn when it comes to managing root rot, especially aphanomyces. When are seed treatments most effective? Do soil amendments help? And can soil testing help farmers pick the best pea fields? Fortunately, research is underway to answer those very questions. Dr. Syama Chatterton, an Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) researcher […] Read more

Manage root rot before seeding

Saskatchewan plant disease specialist recommends good agronomy to reduce root rot

Lentil and pea growers struggling with root rot need to manage the disease before the seed is in the ground, according to Saskatchewan Agriculture’s plant disease specialist. Fusarium, pythium, and rhizoctonia are root rot pathogens long familiar to farmers. But aphanomyces is a relatively new problem, only detected in Saskatchewan in 2012. “It probably was […] Read more


When scouting, pull plants. This photo shows blackleg stem cankers.

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

Black discolouration in the stem’s cross section is a sign of blackleg.

Scouting for blackleg in canola

The Canola Council of Canada recommends blackleg scouting a week or two before straight cutting or swathing. Don’t wait more than a week after harvest, the Council advises, or plants may be too decomposed to pick out symptoms. While scouting, pull plants and clip stems below ground level. Black discolouration in the stem’s cross section […] Read more


In provinces such as Manitoba and Ontario, fusarium head blight is now a given.

17 crop disease prevention strategies

Fungicides are key, but there are many other parts to an effective long-term strategy

As you can tell by the fact that this article includes 17, yes 17, strategies for crop diseases prevention, there are no quick fixes. Crop disease prevention is going to be an ongoing struggle. 1. Use multiple strategies: Understand that multiple strategies are the way to go. There isn’t one big hammer, rather lots of little hammers with […] Read more

The bronzing within the crop wasn’t occurring just in the low areas, but was happening on slopes and in higher areas of the field as well.

Crop Advisor’s Casebook: The case of the bronzing lentils

A Crop Advisor’s Solution from the July 22, 2014 issue of Grainews

Rob, a mixed grain and cattle farmer east of Swift Current, Sask., went on a week-long fishing trip in mid-July. Upon returning to his 3,000-acre farm where he grows canola, lentils, durum and barley, Rob noticed the plants in one of his lentil fields were turning brown and appeared to be dying. He called me […] Read more


VIDEO: The best time to spray canola with a sclerotinia fungicide

VIDEO: The best time to spray canola with a sclerotinia fungicide

Crop Diagnostic School: Here's a tip. It's a good sign if your pants get wet when walking through the field

Assessing your canola crop during the flowering stage is essential to discover if sclerotinia is present and if a fungicide can be of benefit. In this video from the 2015 Crop Diagnostic School, Anastasia Kubinec of Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (MAFRD), talks about the risk factors for the fungal disease and offers tips for canola […] Read more



blackleg infection on a canola stem

Does it pay to spray fungicide for blackleg?

When you’re looking to guard your canola against blackleg, does it pay to spray a fungicide? The short answer is yes — especially if you’re running a tight canola-wheat rotation. Short rotations put you at the highest risk of developing a blackleg infection, since the fungus can overwinter on diseased canola stubble year over year […] Read more