Canola pods infected with sclerotinia.

Pioneer levels up against sclerotinia

Corteva’s new canola hybrid delivers fungicide-equivalent protection

Fungicide-equivalent protection against sclerotinia has long been an elusive target for canola breeders — but Pioneer appears to have cracked the code. The Corteva-owned seed brand released its P617SL hybrid commercially in 2024, and the company says its trial data backs up the fungicide-equivalent claim. While the Canola Council of Canada can’t speak to specific […] Read more

Crucifer flea beetles, shown here on cabbage, are considered by growers to be among the greatest economic risks to canola crops.

Canola’s least wanted

Experts discuss pests and pathogens canola growers will want to watch for in 2024

Flea beetles pose one of the greatest risks to yields for canola growers in Western Canada. A 2022 survey conducted on behalf of the Canola Council of Canada bore that out. Some 91 per cent of growers who participated in the survey identified flea beetles as the greatest economic risk to their crops. That’s likely […] Read more


Some of the key symptoms of a crop infected with sclerotinia include premature ripening and pale-grey or white lesions on stems, branches and pods.

Sclerotinia control in canola

Growing hybrid varieties with improved disease resistance and other agronomic benefits can help protect your yields

Reducing and/or preventing yield losses caused by sclerotinia in canola takes a multi-pronged approach, says a research scientist with Corteva Agriscience. Scott McClinchey, a canola breeder based in Guelph, Ont., says farmers can’t change the weather but they do have other measures within their control to help minimize the effect of the disease on their […] Read more

Researchers at Farming Smarter in Lethbridge, Alta., tested the Spornado in different crops to determine if the location of the sampler made a difference. Generally, an open area of the field is preferred, and try to avoid field edges or being next to a gravel road where dust could overload the collection cassette.

Keep tabs on crop disease risk

Even the occasional rain event during a dry growing season can stimulate a crop disease outbreak

Is there a need for an early-warning system for crop diseases during a dry growing season? Generally, most farmers and agronomists agree with dry or drought conditions the risk of crop disease outbreaks is greatly reduced, if non-existent. And that is true to a large extent. Looking at the classic crop disease triangle, the three […] Read more


The first confirmed clubroot cases in the Municipal District of Smoky River (Peace region) and in the Counties of Grande Prairie (Peace region) and Wheatland (east of Calgary) were found in 2020.

And the canola disease surveys say…

The 2020 numbers on blackleg, sclerotinia stem rot, clubroot, verticillium stripe and others across the Prairies

Western Canada’s crop disease specialists have spent the past few months finalizing results from canola field disease surveys executed during the 2020 growing season. Blackleg According to those surveys, 45.4 per cent of 350 canola fields and five mustard fields evaluated across Alberta in 2020 had blackleg. The average rate of infection was 6.4 plants […] Read more

The openings on the roots of soybean plants infected by SCN may cause the plant to be more susceptible to the development of root rot and seedling diseases.

Crop disease experts take stock of 2020

Your provincial roundup of pulse and soybean diseases, what to watch for this year and emerging threats

From east to west, pulse and soybean growers face disease challenges, and last year was no different. For example, producers from all three provinces struggled with aphanomyces root rot in peas and lentils, Manitoba’s soybean farmers were warned of increased cases of soybean cyst nematode (plants are more susceptible to root rot and seedling disease […] Read more


What were the canola yield robbers in 2020?

What were the canola yield robbers in 2020?

Some farmers benefited from the environmental conditions while others were ready to put 2020 behind them

In 2020, canola fell more than 11 bushels short of the 52 bushels per acre yield target the Canola Council of Canada (CCC) hopes Canadian farmers can achieve by 2025. Though a handful of major factors held yield back last season, hot and dry conditions bit into the most acres, said CCC agronomy specialist Justine […] Read more

Sclerotinia stem rot leaf lesion forming from an infected canola petal.

How to manage sclerotinia stem rot in canola

Disease risk comes down to moisture

Sclerotinia stem rot is one of the most destructive diseases in canola. The fungus can cause up to 50 per cent yield loss. From year to year, region to region, and field to field, occurrence and severity are extremely variable. Foliar fungicides remain the main source of control. Canola Council of Canada agronomy director, Clint […] Read more