Clubroot lowers the bottom line for more and more Western Canada canola growers each year. The disease has been advancing through Alberta at a fairly steady 20 to 25 km per year, and has been detected at low levels in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. All Prairie fields are at risk of economic loss from clubroot, with the highest risk fields those…
Clubroot
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Clubroot-resistant canola is the best tool available to limit disease damage in fields infested with clubroot. However, an effective overall clubroot management strategy has to be top of mind in all years, not just canola years. As a soil borne disease, clubroot can spread no matter what crop is grown on a field. Any pass with the drill or cultivator,…
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Manitoba has had two canola fields confirmed this month to have clubroot symptoms on plants. Last year, clubroot was confirmed in two soil samples in the province, but plant symptoms were not observed. Clubroot is expected to spread across the Prairies eventually. The disease was first detected in Manitoba in vegetable crops in 1925. It is not a surprise to…
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Early detection makes clubroot easier to contain. By the time patches of clubroot infection are obvious in fields, clubroot spores may have been present for a while and may have already spread to neighbouring fields. Clubroot disease management plans will vary depending on the amount of disease and its severity, but growers in all regions should watch for the disease…
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Lots of sclerotinia stem rot. As harvest progresses, we’re hearing reports of higher levels of sclerotinia stem rot in some regions. Some fields that did not get a fungicide spray are at 40-50% infection. That works out to an estimated 20-25% yield loss, or 10-13 bu./ac. on a canola crop with 50 bu./ac. yield potential. Fungicide applications for sclerotinia stem…
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Sclerotinia stem rot (above) and blackleg can both cause what looks like pre-mature ripening. Both diseases, when severe, can cut off nutrient flow up the stem, resulting in a whitened dead plant. Both can cause increased lodging. However, long-term management requires an accurate identification of which disease is the cause. Disease identification will make sure you make the correct seed…
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Some fields are already showing a lot of gall growth, probably because the wet spring promoted early infection. These galls are most likely clubroot, especially if the fields are in known clubroot hot zones. However, not ALL root galls are clubroot. Galls could also be hybridization nodules (shown above) or phenoxy damage…