Reading Time: 2 minutes As the public grows more concerned about chemical use, many growers struggle with how to keep their product salable while using fewer pesticides. Some growers are turning to a new kind of ‘undercover operative’ to deal with crop pests. “Biological controls or biocontrol agents attack and ‘neutralize’ or reduce pests in a cropping system and […] Read more
How are biocontrol agents like James Bond?
Beneficial control agents include beneficial bacteria, fungi, nematodes and insects that feed on harmful organisms
Stripe rust alert in Alberta
Disease found in Oregon three weeks earlier than ever recorded
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Agriculture plant pathologist Mike Harding has issued a bulletin noting that stripe rust alerts have been issued for Oregon and Montana. A Jan. 19 Capital Press story says stripe rust has been discovered in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Oregon State University plant pathologist Chris Mundt and three extension researchers issued an alert Jan. 19 informing […] Read more
New canola variety offers middle-of-the-road protection against new strain of clubroot
A new canola variety from Canterra Seeds with ‘intermediate resistance’ to a new strain of clubroot will be available in limited amounts this growing season
Reading Time: 2 minutes A new canola variety has shown some promising resistance to a new strain of clubroot that was found near Edmonton in 2013 and has since spread to nearly 30 fields. But it won’t offer true resistance, says a plant pathologist from the University of Alberta. “This variety had very, very strong resistance to the pathotypes […] Read more
Small farm ‘toys’ pack a mighty punch
Drones are getting off the ground in Alberta, in no small part thanks to their practical applications on livestock and grain farms
Reading Time: 3 minutes Drones may seem like a fun toy — but on the farm, these fancy fliers mean business. “At the end of the day, you want better information to make better decisions, and that’s what they give you,” said Steve Myshak, owner of Ventus Geospatial in Lethbridge. “That’s the bottom line on why you want to […] Read more
South sees overwintering stripe rust
Early-seeded winter wheat appears to be more susceptible even when resistant varieties are used
Reading Time: 2 minutes Researchers are continuing to monitor plots and a few fields for stripe rust survival throughout the winter and early spring. Evidence of overwintering stripe rust was found last year in central Alberta, and Agriculture Canada researcher Denis Gaudet has extended his stripe rust survey this winter to include some evaluations in southern Alberta. Eight winter […] Read more
Fusarium on the march and wreaking havoc
Once limited to wheat fields in southern Alberta, fusarium head blight is spreading quickly into central Alberta and beyond
Reading Time: 3 minutes A devastating wheat disease is on the rise in Alberta — and spreading quickly. “Over the past few years, (fusarium) has increased considerably, and it’s fairly prominent now,” said Trevor Blois, disease diagnostician with 20/20 Seed Labs. “This year, around 16 per cent of samples that are submitted for a fusarium test in Alberta are […] Read more
Clubroot not just another disease
The response to clubroot has been uneven and often ineffective, but we need to learn from what’s worked to prevent a crisis situation
Reading Time: 3 minutes What surprised me most while researching the origins and spread of clubroot was just how devastating this disease is. Before travelling through the most affected areas and interviewing those at ground zero, I thought of clubroot as just another crop disease. It’s not. But unfortunately, many canola growers still don’t fully realize the threat they […] Read more
Late blight confirmed in Alberta
Specific steps needed to prevent carryover of disease to future crops
Reading Time: 3 minutes Late blight is one of the most serious diseases of potatoes and tomatoes worldwide, resulting in significant yield and quality losses annually. In general, in Alberta, late blight occurs infrequently, but can have devastating impacts in the years when it reaches epidemic levels. “In the summer of 2013, late blight was confirmed in parts of […] Read more
A picture is worth 1,000 words — if it’s done right
Your best bet is an ‘idiot-proof camera,’ not a smartphone, when it comes to digital diagnosis
Reading Time: 3 minutes Most people use their smartphone cameras to share pictures of their kids, pets, or lunch. But those aren’t what is filling up Kelly Turkington’s inbox. “People are going out into the field with a smartphone, taking a picture, and emailing to ask for a diagnosis,” the federal research scientist said at a recent workshop in […] Read more
Fungicide spraying on the rise
Shorter rotations and humid conditions are making fungicide more popular
Reading Time: 3 minutes It seems people don’t question the need to spray fungicide any longer. “A lot more producers are more aware of diseases and are making the decision to spray fungicide a lot more than they used to,” said Mark Cutts, a crop specialist with Alberta Agriculture’s Ag Info centre in Stettler. “That goes across the province […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
