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Want to keep up on what is happening with all crop diseases? Subscribe to the Prairie Crop Disease Monitoring Network (PCDMN) blog by submitting your email address via the “subscribe” option on the PCDMN Blog. The blog is operated by researchers at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The PCDMN’s main focus is to provide timely information about crop diseases on the Prairies, their identification and assessment, and to highlight effective disease management approaches. It also has a Twitter feed (@pcdmn) that features timely field crop disease information during the growing season as well as updates during the fall and winter.
The Western Forum on Pest Management meeting offers a yearly summary of the year’s pathology and entomology concerns in western Canada. Hold the dates of October 27-29 for participation in their online meeting in 2021. Watch here or https://westernforum.org for registration information and details soon.
Canola Week, Canada’s premier series of canola industry meetings focused on research and industry news, will be a virtual conference again this year. Save the date for November 30 to December 2, 2021. Keep an eye here for details.
Free testing in Manitoba. Members of the Manitoba Canola Growers now have the opportunity to receive free sample testing through the Pest Surveillance Initiative (PSI) lab. The PSI Lab focused originally on the detection of low-level mapping of clubroot in Manitoba, but capabilities of the lab have expanded to include testing and mapping for glyphosate-resistant kochia and most recently testing for blackleg, blackleg race identification and verticillium stripe. For more information, visit https://canolagrowers.com/in-the-lab/psi-lab/. Testing services are also available in Saskatchewan through SaskCanola. Click here for more information. This article discusses how grower-submitted soil samples support collective measures to manage blackleg.
SaskCanola disease testing. SaskCanola offers free clubroot and blackleg disease testing programs available this fall for registered canola growers in Saskatchewan. Visit https://www.saskcanola.com/production/blackleg.php and https://www.saskcanola.com/production/clubroot.php for more information. In addition to direct benefits to the grower, see how submitting samples provides additional benefits and supports subsequent findings.
The Harvest Sample Program from the Canadian Grain Commission tracks quality trends in canola and other crops and provides farmers with an unofficial grade and quality report. If new to the program, order your sample kits here: https://grainscanada.gc.ca/application/HSS. Last year’s participants will get a kit in the mail.
Canola flower midge. Tiny midge larvae (see photo) have been collected within pods in a few fields in south central Saskatchewan and Alberta. DNA analysis from 2020 identified one of these samples as Contarinia brassicola (canola flower midge). If you find larvae in canola or any other unexpected pest in your canola, collect and preserve them. Then contact your local Canola Council agronomy specialist to assess. Canola flower midge is not considered an economic threat to canola production in Western Canada, but it is closely related to swede midge, a serious pest elsewhere in brassica vegetables, canola and oilseed rape production globally, Research is underway to learn more about this relatively new pest. Learn more about the canola flower midge in the Canola Encyclopedia.
SURVEY: Agroclimate Impact Reporter: Growing Season 2021. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is currently collecting information from producers to detail the impacts they are facing due to weather and climate. Please complete this five-minute survey to provide information on the situation in your local area and distribute to others in your network who may have information to share.
Any growers willing to support weed research by getting rid of some cleavers? Breanne Tidemann, a researcher from AAFC Lacombe, is looking for mature cleavers that have (ideally) not been treated with pre-harvest glyphosate along with a corresponding GPS location. This is for her research on cleavers populations, emergence factors impacting cleavers and potential differences between populations in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta that may affect management strategies. If you can contribute, contact Breanne at breanne.tidemann@agr.gc.ca to confirm sample collection details (number of plants needed, best method of sending, etc.) and mail to: Breanne Tidemann, 6000 C&E Trail, Lacombe, AB, T4L 1W1.