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



Depending on moisture conditions this summer, sclerotinia could be an issue in canola, Keith Gabert says.

High moisture levels could drive up canola diseases across province

Sclerotinia can reduce canola yields by up to 50 per cent — but a well-timed fungicide application can prevent some of those losses

Reading Time: 4 minutes It may be a little bit early to guess, but canola agronomist Keith Gabert predicts that sclerotinia will be a problem in canola crops this summer. “We always assume that we’re going to have sclerotinia issues,” said the Canola Council of Canada agronomist. “Typically, sclerotinia germinates under good moisture conditions, so we’re making the assumption […] Read more


Four canola diseases to watch for

Four canola diseases to watch for

Is that canola crop afflicted by blackleg, root rot, both, or something else entirely? It’s a messy question farmers and agronomists encounter every year. Presenters tried to untangle those problems at CanoLAB in Vermilion this winter. Here are four diseases to watch for in canola fields this summer, and tips on diagnosing them.

The rise of the 777 sunflower rust race

The rise of the 777 sunflower rust race

If it seems like rust is becoming a bigger problem for Manitoba sunflower crops, that’s because it is. Researchers have identified a new virulent race of sunflower rust that made up nearly two-thirds of the rust cases in Manitoba during the 2016 growing season. Left unchecked, the disease deprives the plant of nutrients, and can[...]
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Nano-biosensors have proven effective in detecting sclerotinia in the lab, says researcher Susie Li. The next step is seeing how well the $10 devices work in a field.

Canola may soon be able to text  you when it needs to be sprayed

Nano-biosensors are more accurate than checklists at determining when to spray for sclerotinia

Reading Time: 2 minutes An Alberta researcher has found a tiny way to solve a big problem for canola farmers — using nano-biosensors to detect sclerotinia stem rot in the field, eliminating the need for visual scouting. “Sclerotinia stem rot is one of the most devastating diseases in canola farming, and scientists have worked very hard to try and[...]
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A sclerotinia-infected canola stem. Eastern Prairie crops are expected to face added disease pressure. (Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Rain increases disease pressures on eastern Prairies

CNS Canada — The recent batch of wet weather across parts of Saskatchewan and Manitoba have been a welcome relief to some fields that were suffering from excess dryness. However, soggy conditions have also enabled certain disease pressures to rear their ugly head, according to some government specialists. “Root rot is showing up in peas[...]
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Richardson Pioneer agronomist Jeneen Ewen shared this photo with us last summer showing what turned out to be stemphylium blight in a southwestern Saskatchewan lentil crop.

Guenther: Farmers aim to keep pulse diseases in check

Rain makes grain, the saying goes — but too much spring rain and farmers are likely to see disease in pulses. That’s certainly been the case in Saskatchewan, where farmers in most regions are actively scouting for, or in some cases spraying for, crop diseases, according to the provincial crop report. So which leaf diseases[...]
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White rot is one of the diseases showing up in Alberta garlic crops.

Garlic and onion disease survey underway

Samples across the province have revealed a number of diseases

Reading Time: < 1 minute Over the last several years, a number of issues has been observed in garlic crops in Alberta, with reduced yields, poor storability, and poor performance. Plant and soil samples collected from across the province in the last two years have found a number of diseases, including aster yellows, white rot (sclerotinia), fusarium basal plate rot,[...]
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