Irrigation and sclerotinia stem rot management

Canola’s need for water is highest during the flowering growth stage, which means growers using irrigation have to provide more water during this stage. However, moisture at this stage also increases the risk of sclerotinia stem rot infection.

Alberta’s irrigation scheduling strategy recommends less frequent and larger irrigation volumes during the flowering growth stage. This will provide the water the crop needs, but by increasing the time between irrigations, the canola canopy has a chance to dry out to discourage sclerotinia stem rot.

This content is from “Irrigation Scheduling Strategy,” a chapter in this manual from Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development.

Alberta Irrigation Management Manual