b'ON THE EDGELime Showing Promise as Way to Control Clubroot inFertilizer Company Pivot Bio Launches Canadian Canola OperationsA new research project at the University of Alberta has shownAmerican fertilizer company Pivot Bio has expanded operations that spot treating with lime could be a possible way to controlinto Canada, a news release said. Product trials are currently clubroot in canola fields, a news release said. In growthunderway in eastern and western Canada on corn, wheat, and experiments, clubroot occurrence and severity was reduced bycanola, with the expansion pending regulatory approvals.35 to 91 per cent. Pivot Bio was founded on the belief that farmers need a better These findings could give farmers an important option forway to fertilize their crops, Karsten Temme, Pivot Bio CEO and managing clubroot in their fields, alongside current use ofco-founder said in the release. We are excited to expand our canola plants bred to resist the disease, the release said. Limeoperations and ultimately introducing our technology to farmers has traditionally been used to manage clubroot in related plantseverywhere, starting in Canada.such as cabbages for market gardens, but not on a large scale inPivot Bios Canada operations will be led by General Manager canola crops. Chuck Broughton. Broughton brings more than 30 years of As a non-genetic management practice, liming treatmentsindustry experience, including business development, sales and could help combat all strains of clubroot in canola, said Nicolemarketing in the North American and global seed treatment, Fox, who conducted the study to earn a master of scienceinoculants, and crop protection markets, the release said. in plant biosystems. Spot treatments could help controlSaskatchewan-based Wade Clarke is Pivot Bios regional sales contaminated areas of a field or stem the spread of clubroot intoleader for Canada, and professional agrologist Katie Donohue, a new field. also from Saskatchewan, has joined Pivot Bio as a commercial The release noted lime works by neutralizing the highlyagronomist.acidic soil preferred by clubroot, reducing the likelihood ofWe are looking forward to offering Canadian farmers an spore germination and plant infection. economical and sustainable nitrogen, building on proven Limes effectiveness does hinge on certain factors, like thesuccesses weve experienced with U.S. farmers, Broughton said interval between application and seeding, so it needs fine- in the release.tuning before it could become a practical tool, says U of AThe release noted for more than a decade, Pivot Bio has plant pathologist and study co-author Stephen Strelkov, whoworked to replace synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. Years of supervised the research. research led to a fertilizer which enables microbes to convert While lime showed good potential for clubroot management,atmospheric nitrogen into a form that crops like corn and wheat the results varied. Sometimes the treatments provided verycan use as nutrition. It has been commercially available in the good control; other times they didnt. So, we need furtherUnited States since 2019.research to work out some details, Strelkov said in the release.The findings were published in the Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology.Corteva Launches New Canola Seed Treatment in CanadaCorteva Agriscience has launched LumiGEN seed treatments for canola in Canada for the 2023 growing season, a news release said.Canola growers will have access to improved disease control with Cortevas new LumiGEN seed treatments canola fungicide package. The package contains four effective modes of action for broad spectrum disease protection, including Lumiscend fungicide seed treatment, a new active ingredient for airborne blackleg protection, the release said. It translocates through seedlings to stop the growth of the blackleg fungus.Similar to Lumider insecticide seed treatment, this fungicide package has shown excellent early season seedling stand establishment, vigour and biomass, Kirsten Ratzlaff, product manager for seed applied technology for Corteva Agriscience, said in the release.The release noted LumiGEN seed treatment packages are exclusively available on Brevant seeds and Pioneer brand genetics.112seed.ab.ca'