This study examines the interactions between the full and half rates of both glufosinate and clethodim in a tank mix with and without a water conditioner across varying water qualities.

Clubroot, caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae, is a major threat to canola production in Canada. The use of clubroot-resistant (CR) cultivars has been a key strategy in managing this disease.

It is estimated that flea beetles cause economic losses of over $300 million annually in North America and represent the major insect threat to canola.  Yield loss of 10 % is common when flea beetles are abundant.

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a fungal pathogen of canola and many other crops including bean, soybean, sunflower, potato and lentil.

Although a relatively new disease of concern for Canadian canola producers (1), verticillium stripe (VS) is an important disease for the European canola growers and has been extensively studied over the past several decades (2).

Engaging farmers in research has the potential to both increase agriculture productivity and reduce the environmental footprint. Farmers’ engagement in research is enhanced by organizing groups of farmers to conduct on-farm experimentation.

Global change factors including climate warming, agricultural intensification, and species invasions are leading to range expansions, altered phenology, and increased impacts of agricultural pest insects that threaten worldwide economies and food security.

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions has become a high priority for western Canadian producers. In 2020, the federal government established a target of reducing N2O emissions associated with fertilizer application by 30% below 2020 levels by 2030.

Past research clearly shown that management practices such as no-till have led to an increase in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in the Canadian Prairies.

SKSIS launched in 2018 with the goal of making quality soil information accessible to Saskatchewan producers, agrologists, researchers, land managers, and policy makers.

Kochia has grown to be one of the worst agricultural weed problems on the southern Canadian Prairies where its impact on crop production has been exacerbated by warm dry summers over the past half decade. Kochia is a tumbleweed that thrives in conditions of drought, salinity, and heat stress, allowing it to compete with crops for essential resources, resulting in substantial crop yield losses.

Aster leafhoppers and diamondback moths migrate to the Canadian Prairies in spring and early summer on wind currents originating in the USA. Infestations of these insects are tied to migration on the winds since neither of these insects overwinters well in cold Canadian winters.

Effective weed management is critical to maximizing harvest efficiency and yield potential for producers and this is achieved by the application of efficacious herbicides. These herbicides have become a victim of their own success, as the selection pressure they apply to control weed populations inevitably leads to the evolution of herbicide resistance within those populations.

Current commercial soil testing relies upon physically removing soil from fields and shipping it to centralized labs for analysis through wet chemistry. The soil is shipped, dried, sifted and then analyzed through chemical treatment.

The last several growing seasons have been much drier and warmer than the long-term average throughout most growing regions in Saskatchewan. For instance, in 2023 snow melt was delayed in some regions, however, the melt was rapid and most producers were able to commence field activities by early May in northern regions, and even earlier in southern regions. Some producers in the Northeast region of the province were seeding canola the 1st week of May, which is not usually the case. With no late spring frost and very warm and dry spring and summer conditions this ended up being a relatively smart agronomic decision for some. Depending on the region of the province some areas may see canola being seeded as early as late April when dry spring conditions exist. With limited moisture throughout the growing season in recent years, taking advantage of early season soil moisture is essential for successful crop establish

About 2 million metric tonnes of spent bleaching/filtration earths from vegetable oil refining are produced worldwide every year. The canola crush oil processing industry in western Canada creates significant amounts of spent bentonite- based filtration earth from the crushing of 10 million tonnes of canola. New crush facilities being built or expansion of crush capabilities by companies including Viterra, Richardson, Cargill, and others will increase the amount of spent filtration earth produced as a by-product of the crush industry. The spent bleaching/filtration earth material left from vegetable oil refining has traditionally been disposed of in landfills, but this is an undesirable and expensive practice, and many landfills will no longer accept bleaching earth from vegetable oil refining. The high oil content of the material when stockpiled in one place can lead to problems with spontaneous combustion. Recycling through extraction and production of biodiesel from the oil left behind in the clay, making briquettes or clay tiles, among other industrial uses, have been proposed as alternative uses for the material.

Verticillium longisporum survives as microsclerotia on crop residues and in the soil for up to 20 years, but also has been reported on plants in previously uninfested areas. As a monocyclic vascular pathogen, it may also be capable of invading seeds. V. longisporum was recovered from seeds in up to 13% of greenhouse-grown inoculated plants. Seed infection may impact seedling establishment, but even very low levels of seed transmission may be important when there is the potential to introduce the pathogen into a new area. 

Since 2013, clubroot has been diagnosed in at least 3,894 individual fields across Alberta, with dozens of cases also reported in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The management of clubroot is challenging, as P. brassicae produces large numbers of long-lived resting spores that can cause severe yield losses in susceptible hosts. Genetic resistance is the most effective tool for disease control, but the emergence of new pathotypes that can ‘break’ or overcome host resistance indicates that this tool is at serious risk. Forty-three pathotypes of P. brassicae have now been identified in Canada, 25 of which are virulent on at least some clubroot-resistant canola varieties. Rapid shifts in the virulence of the pathogen, combined with the continued emergence and spread of resistance-breaking pathotypes, indicate a need for proactive disease management and resistance-breeding efforts.

Striped and crucifer flea beetles are the most significant insect pests of canola on the Canadian Prairies. Currently, >99% of canola acreage is grown from insecticide-treated seed, and even then, foliar insecticide applications are often required under high flea beetle population densities. Current monitoring for flea beetles involves in-field scouting from canola emergence through the third true-leaf stage, after which canola can tolerate feeding damage. Plants are examined for typical “shot-hole” and stem-feeding damage and ranked on a 0-100% damage scale. The current recommended action threshold is set at 25% damage. 

Verticillium stripe has recently become one of the most important diseases of canola in Canada. Verticillium longisporum appears to prefer cruciferous hosts and poses an increasing problem to canola and oilseed rape production. Plant disease nurseries play a vital role in safeguarding agricultural productivity and global food security.