17
CLUBROOT PATHOGEN DETECTED IN MANITOBA
BY ALEXIS KIENLEN AF STAFF | EDMONTON
C
inderella has a dark side. Canola, the golden child of Prairie farmers, has become a major weed issue and reached No. 5 in the 2010 Alberta weed survey. “It’s never been in the Top 10 before, suggesting tighter acres and rotations, but also higher prevalence in relative abundance,” said Neil Harker, research scientist and weed ecologist with Agriculture Canada at Lacombe. “This is a relative abundance rank compared to other weeds.” Harker has been studying harvest losses and presented his findings at a recent Alberta Canola Industry seminar. On average, about six per cent of a canola crop is left behind after harvest, he said. “There are a lot of sources of harvest loss,” said Harker. “It can happen after combining as well as behind the combine and behind the swath, depending on what happens during swathing. It can also happen based on the type of stand that you have, the pod-filling process and how uniform that is.” One study found about 3,600 seeds are left behind on every square metre of a canola field — roughly two bushels per acre. That’s about 20 times the seeding rate, and therefore a good reason “to develop genotypes with very low secondary dormancy and reduce the volunteer issue,” said Harker.
Volunteer canola is now the No. 5 weed in Alberta. One study found the germination rate to be about three per cent. “We lost a lot to fatal germination in the fall and there were some that were eaten by beetles and other animals,” said Harker. Research is ongoing into the factors contributing to harvest losses, but they seem to be going up. “We’re certainly not improving, and we’re losing more seeds per
Pioneer brand CORn hybrids for Alberta
PHOTO: LAURA RANCE
metre — higher yields probably have something to do with that,” said Harker. Researchers found straight cutting resulted in higher losses than swathing, but losses for both methods were lower when harvesting was done in the morning. Combine manufacturer and type made little difference to harvest losses. Higher seeding rates and good stand densities also reduced losses.
If your rotation is canola, snow, and canola again, you’re setting yourself up for a root maggot infestation. Insects love it when you grow the same crop year after year, and root maggots and canola are no exception, University of Alberta entomologist Lloyd Dosdall told attendees at a recent Alberta Canola industry update seminar. Dosdall was part of a research team that examined how canola rotation — or the lack of it — affects crop damage, yield and seed quality. The study examined 13 different treatments done across Western Canada at five different sites from 2008 to 2011. Several sites were continuously cropped with canola, while others had a canola-wheat-canola rotation or only had canola in one of the three years. At the end of the season, researchers examined root damage to determine the severity of root maggot infestation. “The damage to canola that was grown continuously was more severe than when canola was rotated,” said Dosdall. Root maggot larvae overwinter in soil and the study found the damage they cause increased every year. “We had the highest yields in the first year of continuous canola, and then they just dropped down significantly in the following two years,” he said. Dosdall said the loss from continuous cropping ranged from a loss of $280 to $380 per hectare.
proving ground.
are left behind on every acre of a canola field
Roundup Ready is a registered trademark used under license from Monsanto Company. All purchases are subject to the terms of labelling and purchase documents. ®, TM, SM Trademarks and service marks licensed to Pioneer Hi-Bred Limited. © 2011 PHL.
Study finds drop in yields significant after first year
®
CONTINUAL DROP
LEFT BEHIND One study found roughly two bushels
The
Researchers investigate high harvest loss in canola
Continuous canola can lead to root maggot damage
www.pioneer.com/yield
Manitoba’s Agriculture Department has reported that soil samples taken from two unrelated fields in 2011 are now confirmed to contain traces of DNA from the clubroot pathogen at “extremely low levels.” These results mark the first time clubroot DNA has been identified in soil samples from Manitoba, the Ag Department said. The two samples are still considered negative for clubroot itself, but are termed as “non-symptomatic fields of concern.” No symptoms of clubroot were found on canola plants in the two fields during the 2011 season, nor on plants grown later in the same soil under regulated greenhouse conditions.
TM
RESEARCH
ALBERTAFARMEXPRESS.CA • MAY 7, 2012
®
For all of your corn growing needs, call your local Pioneer Hi-Bred sales representative. They are ready to help you select the best seed products for each of your acres.
PR2154 v2 AFE_39B90_CPS.indd 1
2200 Heat Units
2350 Heat Units
Platform with strong agronomic package. Above average root and stalk lodging resistance. Excellent choice for grazing.
Late-flowering platform. Above average root strength. Very good drought tolerance. Outstanding silage characteristics.
08/11/11 3:05 PM