Blackleg, rhizoctonia seedling blight and sclerotinia stem rot are economically important diseases of canola, which have caused millions of dollars of losses in western Canada.

Canola is a major cash crop of the Parkland region of the Prairies where many soils (especially Gray Wooded) are deficient or potentially deficient in plant-available sulphur (S) for canola.

In the mid 1990s, Lygus bugs were becoming an increasingly important pest in canola. Researchers from Agriculture and Agriculture Canada in Ottawa and Saskatoon launched a three-year project in 1998 to develop a routine assay and diagnostic key to identify populations of Lygus in western Canada and immature stages of Peristenus species, a potential biological control.

In the mid-1990s, given the introduction of several blackleg resistant canola cultivars and the widespread adoption of reduced tillage systems, growers were interested in finding out if canola could be planted more often within a rotation.

In the late 1990s, fungicide application was the most important control method for Sclerotinia stem rot of canola for most producers.

The cabbage seedpod weevil was first discovered in 1995 in canola fields in Alberta; and by 1999 serious outbreaks occurred throughout southern and central Alberta.

A three-year study was conducted to evaluate the resistance and tolerance of mustard, rapeseed and canola lines to the crucifer flea beetle, Phyllotreta cruciferae, and identify lines with superior agronomic attributes including seedling establishment, plant growth and seed yield.

An analysis of yield trends in Saskatchewan for various major crops have shown that although yields of barley and flax have been continuously increasing from the 1960’s through to 1999, canola yields have remained stagnant between 1991 and 1999.

Crucifer root maggots are an economic pest of canola production. However, the extent of root maggot injury to canola across the prairies was not known.

Researchers at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Station in Swift Current wanted to determine the adaptability of B. juncea genotypes to the agroclimatic conditions in the semiarid prairie.

The Scott Research Farm began to reevaluate fall seeding in 1993 after the introduction of herbicide tolerant canola cultivars. Numerous studies were conducted at Scott from 1996 to 1998 to evaluate the effect of fall and early spring seeding of herbicide tolerant canola.

In central and northern Alberta, yield reductions from root maggot infestations can reach 52% in crops of Brassica rapa (Polish canola) and 20% in Brassica napus (Argentine canola).

In western Canada, alternaria black spot is caused mainly by Alternaria brassicae and to a lesser extent by A. raphani. It is most damaging on spring sown Polish canola (Brassica rapa).

Researchers conducted a field study in 1995 near Star City, Saskatchewan in the Gray soil zone, which compared the effectiveness of different sulfur forms added as sources of fertilizer sulfur for canola.

The amount of UV-B radiation reaching the Earth’s surface is increasing yearly, and UV-B radiation, in sufficient doses, harms sensitive plants and reduces yields.

Nitrogen fertilizer is one of the most important external inputs for improving crop growth and yields. Researchers were interested in finding biological alternatives that could optimize and/or replace N-fertilizers, and in 1996 a three-year project was initiated at the University of Saskatchewan to isolate rhizobacteria able to fix atmospheric nitrogen for canola.

Blackleg is an extremely important disease of canola and all of the control measures used have their drawbacks. Because the blackleg fungus survives only in the plant residues, researchers wanted to find out if it was possible that the incidence of the disease could be reduced if the rate of straw decomposition could be increased.

In central Alberta, infestations of root maggots (Delia spp.) and flea beetles (Phyllotreta spp.) cause substantial economic losses in canola.

A field research trial to evaluate the performance of five bolt-on side band openers in crop establishment and final yield and quality was conducted at 10 locations in Saskatchewan in 1995 and 1996.

Research at the University of Saskatchewan in 1995 tested the effects of N, P, and K rates on the percentage emergence of canola, peas and wheat grown in five different soil types.