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.

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.

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. 

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.

This study will explore the possibility of controlling one of the most destructive fungal pathogens of Saskatchewan, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum using mycoviruses isolated from Canada. 

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.

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.

New opportunities protecting canola yield from biotic and abiotic stress can be developed by harnessing genetic diversity found in crop wild relatives. However, significant barriers prevent breeders from accessing this variation, impeding crop improvement goals.

Weed surveys have been regularly conducted in annual crops in the Prairie Provinces since the 1970’s. In the 1990’s, a herbicide resistance survey program was also started across the Prairies. The most recent set of general weed surveys was conducted from 2019 to 2023, including herbicide resistance surveys on a subset of the same fields.

The proposed research will characterize CR genes based on genome-wide association analyses between clubroot disease data and the whole genome sequence (WGS) data from UA clubroot resistance donors and 28 Brassica hosts available from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and Brassica database (BRAD) websites.

Both SaskCanola and Saskatchewan Flax Development Commissions have expressed an interest in having humic acid fertilizer studies conducted. This attention originated from their producer boards and members and was suggested to Agri-ARM as a potential ADOPT demonstration.

Early seeding typically results in better yielding crops, especially for canola, barley, wheat, peas and oats (Weir, 2019). But not all crops can be seeded early. This demonstration aims to show producers how their canola crop may have performed differently based on seeding date.

The project objective was to demonstrate the effects of commercially-available, foliar-applied nitrogen (N) fixing bacteria products on the yield and seed quality of canola grown under varying fertility levels and contrasting environments.

Engineering apomixis, the asexual reproduction through seeds without fertilization, will provide major advances to plant breeding. This is a technology which could quickly capture and maintain valuable genotypes and associated traits without inbreeding depression and help select for traits not available to current breeding strategies.

This proposed research aims to study new resistance modes of action based on S genes in canola and potentially develop novel R resource for sustainable management of blackleg in western Canada. This study will tap into a unique diversity-rich TILLING canola population…

Clubroot is a devastating disease putting at risk the Canadian canola industry. Nowadays clubroot management heavily relies on the use of clubroot resistant varieties. However, the current reality is that the resistance is being rapidly overcome by P. brassicae1, calling for new and well understood sources of resistance.

The project will identify new diversity that ensures the long term sustainability of the canola crop; specifically it will target traits that have been linked to generating a more environmentally aware and climate responsive plant, through increasing yields…