For specific R genes to be effective in management of blackleg, it is essential to understand the pathogen race composition and changes in different regions. The analysis of Avr-gene frequency in the L. maculans population provides an important guidance to the selection of effective R genes in blackleg resistance breeding…

The canola flower midge, Contarinia brassicola, is a recently discovered insect pest of canola widespread across the Prairies. Damage results when larvae feed on developing flower buds which prevents the flowers from opening and forming pods.

Clubroot disease significantly affects canola seed quality by reducing oil content and seed weight. The most effective solution to control this disease today is growing clubroot-resistant (CR) cultivars in appropriate rotations.

Maximizing crop yields given the weather variability that is commonly experienced in the Canadian Prairie is an important component of improving economic potential of grain cropping.

The outputs and deliverables of a PCDMN companion ADF and AFC project encompass a wider range of stakeholders including researchers, extension staff, producers, agronomists/consultants, producer groups, industry, and provincial and national organizations related to plant disease monitoring.

Droughts in 2001, 2008 and 2021 adversely affected crop production in Saskatchewan. Canola’s resilience to heat and drought depends on when these stresses occur within the crop lifecycle. Plants may recover after stress during the vegetative stage, but stress during flowering and/or pod development usually has a negative effect on yield.

There has been a dramatic increase in canola crushing capacity in Saskatchewan over the last 15 years and recently an additional 3 million tonnes of annual crush capacity have been announced in Regina.

Saskatchewan produces 11 million MT of canola, of which only 4 million MT are processed here, producing approximately 2.2 million MT of CM (considering the oil content of canola as high as 45%).

The environmental impact of crop production has become a critical aspect of market access and crops produced with a low carbon footprint have a competitive advantage in the global marketplace.

Saskatchewan soils are among the lowest in North America with respect to available P levels. Reasons for this observation includes uncontrollable factors such as soil parent material, however, present agricultural practices have also contributed to low soil P values.

The proposed research we propose builds on an approach that promises to significantly enhance current knowledge of the mechanisms by which the clubroot pathogen causes disease and provides a new functional genomics tool to the research community.

New knowledge of the impact of clubroot infection on the diversity and composition of the root and rhizosphere microbiome in canola. Clubroot is one of the biggest threats to the canola industry in Western Canada…

In addition to via wounds on cotyledons and lower leaves, the study found that early blackleg infection can occur also via roots. Seed treatment with several new products, including Fluopyram, Saltro and Bion, may help lower the risk of infection…

As with many crops, canola faces increasing challenges due to unpredictable environmental changes, notably last year drought conditions were prevalent, while in 2022 high heat stress during flowering and pod filling is likely to cause yield losses.

This proposal aims to identify core pathogenicity factors (effectors) of Lm and Fg and determine their function. This information could be used to develop biological and chemical fungicides that target the effector gene expression or block the function of effector gene products.

Insect pests pose a significant risk to field crop production on an annual basis, with each crop potentially affected by multiple insect pest species each year. This project will conduct experiments and collect new data on important insect pests.

Soil organic matter (SOM) plays an important role in soil health and sustained soil productivity. Increasing soil carbon (C) storage is beneficial for soil health, mitigating rising atmospheric CO2 concentration and off-setting greenhouse gas emissions from crop production systems.

By determining the rate and extent of evolotion or spread of GR or auxinic-resistant kochia since the initial baseline surveys we conducted, we can better advise producers of the risk, potential agronomic and economic impact, and best management practices to mitigate or manage GR or auxinic resistance kochia (and other species if found).

Non-race specific resistance against blackleg disease of Brassica napus canola, known as adult plant resistance (APR), is a quantitative trait controlled by multiple genes. The APR trait is highly durable against the blackleg pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans (Lm), although the nature of causative APR genes is not known.

Air drills, which continue to be a popular choice for seeding many of the crops grown in the prairies, rely on a pneumatic conveying system and the passive division of seed through well-mixed, two-phase or gas-solid flows.