What’s lurking in your canola field?
Anastasia Kubinec¹, Debra McLaren², Holly Derksen¹ and Vikram Bisht^{1 1}Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives, Carman, MB R0G 0J0 ²Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Brandon, MB R7A 5Y3

Canola is one of the most economically important crops produced in Manitoba. To continue to grow profitable canola crops, yield reducers such as canola diseases need to be identified and quantified. What is the most significant canola disease in Manitoba? If you guessed sclerotinia, you would be correct in most years, but blackleg incidence has been steadily increasing. The management for the two diseases is quite different and if dead plants are not inspected and the cause identified properly, management dollars in subsequent years may not be spent in the most cost-efficient way.

Disease incidence and severity will change yearly based on environmental conditions, use of genetic resistance in varieties, crop rotation and fungicide use. Annual surveys of commercial canola crops provide valuable information on the distribution of canola diseases and on the impact of farming practices on disease incidence and severity. Results of disease surveys can help agronomists and farmers prioritize where future resources need to be directed and justify applications for research funding. The surveys are also valuable as an early-warning system that provides information on the occurrence of disease/pesticide resistance breakdown.