So Alberta is full of disease!

[SASKFARMER3]

Reading in the western producer how Alberta is
worst province for disease in canola.
Some of you thought I was going to say herpes no
all the articles were about the pushing of canola
rotations where shirt term positive will lead to long
term pain.
Hm!
Club root and black leg is spreading like wild fire.
Rotation is best way to control or stabilize.
Problems, most of the western seed is grown in
Alberta.
Equipment moves between provinces, oil rigs etc.
So what's the solution.
Some sask farmers who only started growing the
crop are working on destroying it here also.
We have few in our area that dud canola canola
canola and I'm guessing it will be canola again
this year, 60 32 7. IMHO.
So what's the answer its a free country?

[DogPatch]

When ****seed / canola was first introduced to this country, the experts in plant breeding in Winnipeg said 1 in 4 yrs for a Canola rotation. I guess they were right. Common sense (or the lack of it) has caused the majority of these disease problems.

Another thing....... back then, there wasn't a lot of continuous cropping, and maybe thats allowing some of the disease spores to buildup faster?

Cleaning equipment has always been a recommended practice, but with bigger equipment, more hire workers, bigger farms, and no more time in a day....... shit happens.

[SASKFARMER3]

We were wondering if the No tillage was also a contributor.
We have started to High speed disc every fall. Were into year two.
Time will tell. Still every three years but odd field is every second.
Either way its not good.

[ASRG]

Saskfarmer: In my county (RD county/central AB) most farmers follow a strict rotation. We are seeing clubroot spread a bit....probably from all the oil field activity. Most municipalities have a control plan in place.
Haven't heard about any kind of blackleg problems for years. Some scleritona (sp?) and a fair bit of aster yellow this year.
It was an average or slightly less than average year for canola here.

[SASKFARMER3]

Just stated in the paper how experts are seeing
more disease their. As for club root it sounds like
your county has their shit together. Do think the oil
trucks are part of the problem.

[boarderbloke]

SF3, it's the dirt on buckets, blades, wheels or tracks of equipment building leases, roads or pipelines. Along with disease, they're also good at spreading cleavers and scentless chamomile!

[ASRG]

Yea the trucks are a big part of the problem. In Leduc county (just south of Edmonton) clubroot is really bad. The trucks entering RD county are supposed to be steamed before they enter the county but it is basically on an "honor" system...most companies are pretty good about complying.
If a farmer has a confirmed clubroot infestation, in RD county he can't grow canola for 5 years. There have only been two cases in Red Deer county this past year. The municipality has held several educational workshops and scouts a certain percentage of the fields.

[ASRG]

boarder: Hear you on the chamomile and cleavers! Also Storks bill, tansy, tall butercup, and leafy spurge!

[charliep]

For what it is worth, club root is a common problem around the world. Came into the Edmonton area a few years ago with the theory being in the market gardens that are growing cabbage type crops related to canola. It can be spread with dirt (cleanliness between fields is important) but also seed, other paths. Like fusarium, you get the initial presense of the pathogen, people spread it with tight rotations of suseptible crops and you get a year of the right environmental conditions. Haven't been to enough canola meeting over the past couple of years but I think (people can correct) there are varieties with some resistance.

A economists understanding realizing knowledge based on listening to others (not my area of expertise).

[charliep]

Blackleg is around. Diseases do a very good job of modifying themselves to adapt to new realities/resistant varieties. An ongoing battle that will last forever. One of the challenges of poor rotations/agronomic practices that allow a number of agronomic challenges that allow pests/diseases to adapt more quickly.

[Burbert]

I would say that the average Comedian
Albertie framer, could care less. Lets
go fer the money is the attitude which
prevails. The scientific guys/gals will
figure out somethin ta combat clubber,
er we'll grow a resistant variety. As
fer the county, department of gag,
gobermont programs. They are a huge
pile of crappola, lip service, clubber
and fusarium programs in Albertie are
talk only, a joke way to grab some user
fees, ie lab testing prior to seed
cleaning, which does nothing other than
monitor the situation, which means, DOES
NOTHING. Like monitering the pollution
in the rivers and streams, from oil and
gas development, DOES NOTHING depends on
industry to solve its own problems.
After all, we's open fer business,
nobody gives a rats butt about the
environment in Albertie. Mother
nature'll take care a herself, if not a
paved parking lot, another Walmart er
Hortons is always needed. F gag its a
pain in the behind fer the albertie
gobermont anyways. Slash and burn is
the way we doer........

[TOM4CWB]

Burbert,

Merry Christmas!

May 2013 bring you and yours happy times and Good Cheer!

God Bless You!

[TOM4CWB]

SF3,

The more we look... the more will be found. Simple mathmatics. Just like Fusarium in MB and SK... where corn is grown... there WILL be fusarium. Black leg is in SK and AB.

Cheers

[Burbert]

Yeah and more of the same old, same old!

[ASRG]

Burbert: In your own twisted little way you express some real truths!
I enjoy your posts.
Merry Christmas.