Agronomy SaskCanola Agronomy SaskCanola

Understanding, mitigating, and managing PPO inhibitor (Group 14)-resistant kochia

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.

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Agronomy SaskCanola Agronomy SaskCanola

Innovations to control troublesome weeds 

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.

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Agronomy SaskCanola Agronomy SaskCanola

Does seeding date and rate of canola effect spring flea beetle pressure, yield, and quality? 

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

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Agronomy SaskCanola Agronomy SaskCanola

Land Application of Spent Filtration Earth From Canola Oil Production to Improve Soil Properties

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.

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Agronomy SaskCanola Agronomy SaskCanola

Investigating the conditions favoring Verticillium stripe development and yield losses in canola

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. 

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Agronomy SaskCanola Agronomy SaskCanola

Clubroot Pathotype Evaluation and Monitoring

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.

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Agronomy SaskCanola Agronomy SaskCanola

Volatile-based trapping and management of flea beetles 

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. 

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Agronomy SaskCanola Agronomy SaskCanola

A comprehensive survey of Verticillium stripe and establishment of a disease nursery in Morden MB

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.

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Agronomy SaskCanola Agronomy SaskCanola

Tracking the movement of flea beetles across the Canadian Prairies

Striped and crucifer flea beetles are chronic pests of canola grown on the Canadian Prairies and as a result over 99% of canola seed is treated with a neonicotinoid insecticide. The flea beetles are known to differ in their tolerance to the neonicotinoids with striped being more tolerant than crucifer flea beetles. Our current project (Ag Funding Consortium: 2021F062R) has found potential differences in the tolerance of both flea beetle species to the neonicotinoid seed treatments depending on collection region. In addition, the two species have differences in their overall physiology in terms of cold temperature tolerance (striped emerge early in the spring) and flight ability (crucifer flies more actively than striped). These differences may affect the overall distribution of flea beetles within and across regions on the Prairies and have implications for management.

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Agronomy SaskCanola Agronomy SaskCanola

Population dynamics and monitoring programs for midges attacking canola

Two species of midge pose a threat to canola production in western Canada. Swede midge is invasive to eastern Canada where it has caused significant economic yield losses. Thus far, swede midge has not established in western Canada, but its geographic range is expanding westward from the northeastern United States. Swede midge could have a devastating impact on the canola and horticultural industries in western Canada. If swede midge continues to disperse westward, early detection will be key to attempting its eradication and preventing it from becoming an established pest in western Canada that requires management using insecticides or other inputs. 

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Agronomy SaskCanola Agronomy SaskCanola

Integrated Crop Agronomy Cluster 2

Activity 6: Increasing soil carbon sequestration and reducing greenhouse gas emissions will directly address the priorities of reducing GHG emissions and sequestering carbon through agricultural management practices. Activity 7: The coordinated suite of objectives will provide farmers, agronomists, agricultural industry, researchers, and policy makers with information required to manage weeds effectively, anticipate new weed threats to farming systems, and mitigate selection pressure for HR weeds.

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Agronomy SaskCanola Agronomy SaskCanola

Enhancing Canola Disease Management: a comprehensive canola disease training program for farmers

This demonstration holds considerable significance for local canola producers due to its comprehensive approach to addressing the intricate challenges posed by diseases like Blackleg, Sclerotinia stem rot, and Verticillium stripe. The primary objective is to narrow the knowledge gap among farmers, recognizing the distinct management strategies required for each disease.

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Agronomy SaskCanola Agronomy SaskCanola

Evaluating the efficiency of glufosinate and clethodim in varying water qualities in combination with water conditioners in canola 

Saskatchewan producers are in a constant struggle to find water sources that are suitable for pesticide applications, and therefore sometimes use water of inadequate qualities. Producers commonly use the water that is available to them for spraying, surface waters like sloughs or dugouts or well water from underground aquifers are the more common sources of spray water. Using water that is too hard can lead to inefficient and wasteful applications.

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Agronomy Hannah Bryant Agronomy Hannah Bryant

Foliar N-Fixing Biological Trial for Canola

The objective of this field-scale trial is to determine if farms can see agronomic and economic benefits from applying nitrogen-fixing bacteria product in wheat or canola. Producer-cooperators will determine the value of utilizing this product under the typical management practices and environmental conditions of their operation.

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