Cereals, oilseeds and pulse crops will all need a close eye
Our three experts have pinpointed fusarium head blight as the No. 1 disease to watch out for this year — but keep an eye on these ones, too.
1. Root rot in pulses
“It’s another example of a problem that’s been expanding and getting worse. Last year, there was a lot of opportunity for some of these organisms that cause root rots to do well because we had a wetter season. Depending on the crop history and the weather, if you’re growing crops like peas and lentils, you’re going to want to really watch for root rot issues.” — Michael Harding
2. Leaf diseases in cereals
“When these cereal leaf diseases become severe, they can cause anywhere from 20 to 40 per cent yield loss. We’ve heard reports of stripe rust development in southern Alberta, and we may have a bit more than we’ve seen in a few years. Keep an eye out for it.” — Kelly Turkington
3. Clubroot in canola
“For us, clubroot is always on the horizon. I don’t think it will be the worst one for the whole province, but certainly, it will be an issue for regions where the disease is established. Last year, we had over 2,400 confirmed infestations, so I suspect it will continue its march slowly. The other issue is resistance being overcome or broken. We have 64 fields that we know of as of last year, so that’s definitely something we’ll be keeping an eye on.” —Stephen Strelkov
