Alberta Canola Producers Commission Cautious of Recent Clubroot Resistance Claims

[ward.toma]

Recently, it was announced that a new canola variety had intermediate resistance to the newly identified clubroot pathotype 5x due to its intermediate reaction when exposed to the pathotype. The Alberta Canola Producers Commission (ACPC) and Alberta canola growers need to be provided with more details and learn more about these claims of “revolutionary” resistance to new virulent strains of clubroot by seed companies.

“The confusion arises from the fact that “intermediate” reaction or resistance is a new term for growers,” says Ward Toma, General Manager of the ACPC. “While there is an agreed definition of what an intermediate reaction to the pathogen is, there is no general agreement about what an intermediate level of resistance means for yield loss or managing the buildup of resting spores in the soil.” This situation is unlike currently accepted blackleg ratings, which clearly define “moderate resistance” and “moderate susceptibility”.

The ACPC urges the Pathology Sub-Committee of the Western Canadian Canola/****seed Recommending Committee, (the organization that handles the protocols around disease rating for canola) to address this issue. Providing clarity will enable growers to understand exactly what is being introduced into the market.

“The fact that some varieties weren’t completely susceptible to the 5x pathogen is encouraging news,” says Toma. “Up to this point, everything that was exposed to it died so this result offers evidence that strong resistance may yet be found. Regardless of variety, best management practices for clubroot continue to be the application of sound rotation and sanitation in combination with genetic resistance.”


For more information contact:
Ward Toma
General Manager
Alberta Canola Producers Commission
1-800-551-6652
Ward.toma@canola.ab.ca

[mcfarms]

Ward

You mean like some companies and their sclerotinia "resistance"?

[farmaholic]

If there's even the slightest sniff, even if imagined, that there is resistance to a problematic issue, it gives them cause to sell it at inflated prices to desperately hopeful Producers.

Wait for wheat......

[ward.toma]

Clarification provided by Canterra:

Recently, CANTERRA SEEDS announced the release of CS2000, a new canola hybrid which independent, third-party, testing has shown to have an improved level of clubroot tolerance. In addition to resistance to the dominant 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 pathotypes, CS2000 has an intermediate level of reaction to the new 5x pathotype.

The intermediate reaction is a new term to many growers, and they may be unfamiliar with what this means. According to Dr. Stephen Strelkov of the University of Alberta, and the Pathology sub-committee of the Western Canadian Canola/****seed Recommending Committee (WCC/RCC), intermediate reaction is a level of resistance between 30-69%. The scale is described as:

<30% reaction – Resistant
30 – 69% reaction – Intermediate Reaction
>70% reaction – Susceptible
As with resistance to any canola disease, the intermediate reaction to the 5x pathotype is not a silver bullet. Growers are strongly encouraged to use all best management practices for clubroot including sanitation of equipment, crop rotations and growing resistant varieties.

Disease resistance in canola varieties is a key component of canola production and understanding management of disease resistance and its impact on canola yield is important for sustainable, profitable canola production.

CANTERRA SEEDS fully supports the ongoing research and testing of all canola related diseases, like blackleg, sclerotinia, and clubroot in order to provide canola producers and the value chain with varieties with improved yield and profitability.

- See more at: http://behindtheseeds.ca/index.php/blog/article/clarification-on-cs2000-clubroot-claim#sthash.knQh5rCP.dpuf