If any fusarium is detected in seed, Bruce Carrier recommends using a seed treatment, regardless of the soil conditions.

Testing cereal seed before spring seeding

Test results show low quality in cereal seed submitted to labs for 2017 planting

Durum in Saskatchewan has been a “complete disaster” for the third year running. That was Bruce Carriere’s grim assessment at the Bayer SeedGrowth Solutions Expo in Saskatoon this spring. Carriere, president of Discovery Seed Labs in Saskatoon, said Saskatchewan durum growers usually have a year carry-over of seed. “They used that last year,” he said. […] Read more

Poor quality cereal seed on deck for 2017

Poor quality cereal seed on deck for 2017

Cereal quality is down across the Prairies, but pulse and soybean seed looks good for 2017

Farmers across the Prairies will remember 2016 as the year when they had frequent, above-average moisture right through the growing season, delaying both seeding and harvest in many cases. All that moisture means there will be some poor quality cereal seed around for the 2017 season, although the quality of pulses like peas and fava […] Read more


Wheat seedlings growing in Petri dishes

How do I interpret my seed test?

Know what you’re looking for before you take your seed to the lab for spring testing

Following a wet growing season that caused all kinds of disease issues across the Prairies, which reduced the quality of cereal seed in all three provinces, seed testing is coming to the forefront as seed growers and farmers want to find out what they can expect from their seed for the upcoming season. “Although everyone […] Read more

Start your own hybrid Guelph Millennium asparagus from seed. Plants have good cold tolerance 
and produce high yields of very uniform 100 per cent male spears.

Start asparagus plants from seeds

Singing Gardener: Plus, what is Paruresis and some tips if you have it

Late March and early April are the times of year I begin scratching around the soil to see what’s popping up besides dandelions and daffodils. Depending on weather, I may soon plant, or will have already planted a short row or two of radish seeds in a sunny sheltered microclimate spot. I share a short excerpt from […] Read more


CDC Greenwater was first released in 2014 and is showing strong yield potential.

The newest in pulses

Varieties to watch for in coming years

Pulse breeders at the University of Saskatchewan’s Crop Development Centre (CDC) are constantly working on developing new varieties with improved yield, disease and weed resistance and tolerance, and other desirable attributes. They are also constantly working on getting these new varieties tested and into the hands of Saskatchewan growers as soon as they are ready. […] Read more

Testing for seed quality

Testing for seed quality

At the grower meetings and events I’ve been to in the last few months, one topic on everyone’s mind is poor seed quality coming out of the challenging 2016 growing season. Last season had excessive moisture, high humidity and heavy disease pressure across most areas. Factor in an extended fall that brought cooler temperatures, and […] Read more


A bertha armyworm gets its fill on a canola seed pod.

Controlling bugs with seed treatments

Technology has given western Canadian farmers access to a wide range of options when it comes to insect control in canola. Crucifer and striped flea beetles, wireworm, cutworm, root maggot, cabbage seedpod weevil, bertha armyworm and diamondback moth are just some insect pests that can be particularly problematic for both crop health and farmers’ bottom […] Read more



Canola is typically sold with a seed treatment that includes both a 
fungicide and insecticide.

Are seed treatments worth the cost?

Ask the Experts: Seed treatments come at a price, but some say they add enough benefits to pay that bill

Some farmers consider seed treatments an insurance policy to try and ensure their crop has every opportunity to germinate and establish healthy plants. Others see them as another added cost they don’t need, especially if they haven’t had any serious disease issues for a while. Invariably though, once a farmer has had a disease problem […] Read more

Volunteer canola.

Controlling seeds post-harvest

Can pulverizing weed seeds after harvest control weeds in Western Canada?

As buzz builds about Australia’s Harrington Seed Destructor, researchers are looking at whether pulverizing seeds after harvest will work on the Prairies. But preliminary research shows post-harvest seed control is unlikely to work for all of Western Canada’s weeds. Breanne Tidemann presented new research at the Herbicide Resistance Summit in Saskatoon this March. Tidemann, who is […] Read more