This research has been an integrated and collaborative approach to addressing the major research priorities around the new disease, verticillium stripe, in Canada. It includes four specific objectives; to measure yield loss, monitor disease development, evaluate canola genotypes resistant to verticillium stripe and determine the interacting effects of verticillium stripe and blackleg.

We did not find that high rates of phosphorus (P) fertilizer affected crop yield and had only a minimal impact on the overall canola microbiome community structure. In our study, the intermediate-rate P supplied in a narrow opener was the most cost-effective fertilization method which generated equivalent canola yield to the high P rate. Our rhizobox studies showed that early canola growth was higher in plants where half of the root system was exposed to fertilized soil and the other half to unfertilized soil. Each half of the root system had a distinct root microbiome indicating that the root-microbiome system may confer the best advantage in soil where P availability is heterogenous as would be found in most field soils.

An understanding of the effectiveness of liming to control different pathotypes will help in decision making, since liming to increase soil pH can be costly and will not produce satisfactory results if the pathogen strains present are less sensitive to pH.

This research project will provide canola producers with practical approaches to managing small patches of clubroot. This will be especially important in situations where the patch represents a new introduction to the area or farm, or where commercial sources of resistance are not available.

The objective of this project is to determine the best combination of fertilizer source, placement, and timing to maximize yield, improve fertilizer N use efficiency and reduce losses of N2O and ammonia (NH3) on light textured soil (sandy loam) in south-central Manitoba.

Flea beetles (both Crucifer and Striped), diamondback moths and aster leafhoppers are major pests of canola, all feeding on the plant at different times throughout the growing season. The outbreaks of each of these insects are difficult to predict year to year and currently there are no resistant varieties available, leaving insecticide application as the only control option.

This project has identified several soil-derived bacteria that are effective at inhibiting disease progression caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a fungal pathogen of canola and other plants that causes stem rot, yield decline, and plant death. The mechanisms of action of the most effective biocontrol agent were investigated, and the bacterium was grown in formulations according to commercial standards. These industry-ready formulations were demonstrated to be as effective as the laboratory cultures, resulting in a biocontrol product that will soon be available as an option for producers.

Nitrogen fertilizer to wheat and canola is one of the major input costs for growers and there has been continuous effort to improve N use efficiency for higher yield and seed quality.

4R Nutrient Stewardship is a tremendous success story of a decision support framework that has been widely adopted among Canadian Prairie farmers as an easily understood tool to optimize agricultural productivity through judicious fertilizer use and subsequently manage risk.

Consumers are increasingly concerned about the safety and sustainability of agricultural production practices. In response, many corporations now require suppliers to demonstrate the sustainability of their products and practices.

In 2018, Health Canada proposed to phase out all agricultural uses of thiamethoxam and clothianidin neonicotinoids which are the most used insecticides for canola protection against flea beetles in the Canadian prairies.

Pollen beetles were susceptible to three of four insecticides tested. Yield reductions was detected at 7-9 beetles per plant but not at four beetles per ten sweep. Pollen beetles were not detected in the Prairies provinces and no native parasitoids were found attacking pollen beetle larvae in Atlantic Canada.

Crop residues supply critically needed carbon (C) and nutrients to the soil. These residue-derived resources support plant growth and the formation of soil organic matter, a cornerstone of soil health.

Prairie crop producers have been seeking effective approaches to increase crop yields, improve resource use efficiencies or minimize input costs, enhance agroecosystem resiliency and the whole-farm economics, and decrease the negative impact of farming on the environment while protecting the soil resource. To achieve those multiple goals simultaneously, a systems approach must be taken where Best Management Practices (BMPs) are integrated together for the entire farm.

Surveillance of crop health issues provides growers, extension staff, researchers, government agencies, and industry stakeholders with information that enables informed decision making with respect to integrated pest management, setting research/funding priorities, product placement, and pest distribution and severity.

The Prairie Pest Monitoring Network is a collaborative project. Monitoring data is released on a weekly basis when insect pests pose the greatest threat to crop yield.

Ultimately, this research will contribute to the momentum of canola nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) research that is aimed to inform and incorporate NUE traits into commercial canola breeding programs.

This project will examine the soil, rhizosphere, and root microorganisms that are recruited by canola plants under stress conditions. It will also result in the isolation by culture of microbes (or groups of microbes) that could help plants adapt to the changing conditions currently being experienced on the Canadian Prairies.

This study will provide canola farmers with the information required to determine when a two-pass program is warranted and economically viable.

The objective of this project was to utilize archived small-plot canola agronomic trial data and corresponding regional weather data to conduct a meta-analysis to examine the relationship between environmental conditions and canola emergence.