Blackleg and verticillium stripe are sometimes found in the same plant.

Raising the profile of verticillium stripe

Identifying the new-ish fungal threat on the block can be tricky because it resembles blackleg

Reading Time: 4 minutes Conditions weren’t ideal for verticillium stripe this year but the Canola Council of Canada says growers should stay alert when it comes to the disease. “Verticillium stripe is a soil-borne pathogen and it overwinters in the soil,” said Courtney Boyachek, agronomy specialist and verticillium stripe lead with the council. “Last year was a bad year […] Read more

Sclerotinia testers needed

Sclerotinia testers needed

Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canola Council of Canada is looking for beta testers for a new sclerotinia risk assessment tool. The goal is ultimately to help growers make timely decisions on whether a foliar fungicide application is advised. For 2023, the council is seeking testers to use this tool and confirm whether a recommendation is accurate for that […] Read more


Root rot research gets funding push

Root rot research gets funding push

Reading Time: < 1 minute The Alberta Pulse Growers Commission is putting $3 million over five years into research projects that reduce the risk of root rot. Over the last decade, the farm group said it has invested $3.7 million in projects relevant to root rots, and much more is known about the pathogen. “Research has resulted in farmers having […] Read more

(Leonid Eremeychuk/iStock/Getty Images)

‘Keep it Clean’ program aims for more than just good advice

Program seen as 'one stop shop' for ensuring marketability of grains

As farmers plan for the upcoming season, they need to do their part to make certain their grain will be ready for market, come harvest time. “Market access issues in general are becoming a bigger issue globally,” said Ian Epp, an agronomy specialist and lead on market access and pesticides with the Canola Council of […] Read more


“If you aren’t seeing symptoms in your crop and you continue to see no symptoms, our experience in what we see in commercial fields is that it’s likely not going to pay to spray a fungicide.” – Kelly Turkington

Rains were welcome but bring increased threat of crop diseases

There are host of factors to consider before spraying but get out in the field and look closely, says expert

Reading Time: 4 minutes Recent rainfall means farmers need to scout their crops and make decisions about spraying. “Certainly the rain that we’ve had would get things going,” said Kelly Turkington, a plant pathologist at Agriculture Canada’s Lacombe research station. For example, leaf spot diseases in barley and wheat can quickly flare up, he said on July 13. “Within […] Read more

The new online tool allows users to report suspected crop diseases and upload a photo of its location.

Crop disease reporting tool is now live

Reading Time: < 1 minute The 2022 version of a tool that alerts producers to emerging disease threats is now available. The Quick Disease Reporter Tool was created by the Prairie Crop Disease Monitoring Network. It allows users “to make general reports of diseases in common crops” across the Prairies. “This information can be used to identify regions where Prairie crop […] Read more


Got bugs in your bins? Researchers want to hear from you.

Crop disease, pest survey needs farmers

Reading Time: < 1 minute Ag Canada’s Prairie Biovigilance Network needs farmers for two surveys, one for leaf disease in wheat fields and another for insects occurring in grain bins. The network is a multidisciplinary group seeking ways to reduce pest problems, insects, weeds, and diseases in western Canadian crops and to raise awareness regarding the prevalence, variability and impact […] Read more

Last year’s conditions mean this year’s weather will be the driver when it comes to crop diseases, says provincial research scientist Michael Harding. But keep close watch for clubroot and root rots (which continued to spread last year) and watch for fusarium head blight, which has laid low recently but could easily rebound in 2021.

Your 2021 disease forecast will depend on your weather forecast

Keep an eye out for the usual suspects in your crops this year if the weather turns wet, says researcher

Reading Time: 4 minutes Predicting which diseases will cause problems on your farm this year is a little like predicting the weather — you know it’s going to hit you, but you don’t know when or how bad it will be. And it doesn’t help that these two unpredictable forces often go hand in hand. “One of the primary […] Read more


Bacterial leaf streak is often confused for stripe rust, but without the orange spores.

Watch for bacterial leaf streak in your wheat and barley this year

Reading Time: < 1 minute Cereal growers across Alberta should keep bacterial leaf streak in their sights this year. “It’s not a new pathogen, but it’s what I’d call an emerging pathogen,” said provincial researcher Michael Harding. “It’s becoming more and more prevalent and even causing some economic loss in cereals.” Most growers don’t watch for it or manage it […] Read more

It is fair to say that the commercial banana trade is a monoculture that is highly vulnerable to disease.

Schoepp: The plight of the banana has implications for all of agriculture

Overreliance on chemical control has brought this hugely important global crop to a crisis point

Reading Time: 3 minutes Regardless of the season there are some foods that are always available and one of them is the banana. It’s an interesting fruit because of the dominance it has in terms of trade and its unique characteristic of being a non-seed-bearing clone. Most bananas come from Ecuador, Philippines, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Colombia and another 125 […] Read more