There may still be snow on the ground, but local canola producers are encouraged to get informed about the upcoming growing season.
Almost two years since clubroot was first found in an MD of Bonnyville field in the summer of 2015, there's another disease to watch out for in canola crops: blackleg.
On Wednesday, Jan. 11 the MD, in partnership with the County of St. Paul, will be hosting a clubroot and blackleg information session at Flat Lake Hall. All canola producers in the area are welcome to attend the free meeting.
“I want to do an annual clubroot meeting every year, because it's spreading 20 miles per year throughout the province of Alberta due to short canola rotations… While we were doing our 100 per cent clubroot inspections that (MD) council asked us to do again last year, we noticed that there was a lot of blackleg in the canola fields,” said Janice Boden, assistant agricultural fieldman for the MD.
Clubroot first appeared in the MD in August 2015, when a sample from a local canola crop sent for lab analysis came back positive. The serious soil-borne disease, which can cause significant yield loss, was confirmed in two unrelated fields in the municipality.
After surveying all 337 crops in 2016, Boden said, thankfully, there wasn't any further spread. However, producers aren't out of the water yet. With no way to completely get rid of the disease, and its ability to stay in the soil for 20 years, Boden noted “we're still very susceptible to more fields” being infected.
Neighbouring County of St. Paul wasn't quite as fortunate with their surveys last summer.
“This was the first year that we surveyed every single field in the county, and we found two new cases (of clubroot). That brings our total to five fields in the last three years,” explained Keith Kornelsen, assistant agricultural fieldman for the County of St. Paul.
Adding to producers' worries, blackleg was found to be very prevalent in the MD last year.
Thriving in humid conditions, blackleg is a fungal disease that forms a canker on the stem or collar of a canola plant. It can cause the plant to lodge, girdle, and subsequently lead to yield loss. The disease spreads through infected seeds being transported by wind and rain.
“We saw some sort of infection in nearly every field we went into, whether it be a slight infection or, in some cases, it was quite severe where we could see it over half of the plant,” said Boden.
As they have been for the past two years, Boden explained they will again be urging producers to move away from back-to-back years of planting canola.
“With blackleg, the spore will stay on the stubble in the root system for three to five years. So we want to recommend longer rotations, and also buying resistant varieties of canola seed.”
To keep producers informed, the clubroot and blackleg session will feature speakers that specialize in both diseases, and will provide an update on the situation in our area and across the province. Those in attendance will also learn more about the diseases, how they spread, resistance, and best management practices.
“If they have any questions about this is the perfect opportunity to meet some provincial experts who can answer almost any question,” said Kornelsen. “Also, they can talk to the county representatives from St. Paul and Bonnyville if they have any questions about the local policies; they can voice their concerns and we can hear those concerns.”
The clubroot and blackleg information session runs from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., with supper included at no charge. Anyone wishing to attend must register with Janice Boden at 780-207-0560 or Keith Kornelsen at 780-645-0154.
