b"Increasing Levels of Newer Cereal Crop DiseasesWhile cereal crops may be hit by the common leaf spot diseases and rusts, there are some newer diseases which farmers should be on the lookout for. Kelly Turkington, research scientist in plant pathology with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), reminds farmers should always pay attention to field history though and prepare to face any diseases that may have reared their heads there in the past.Since Fusarium graminearum was removed from Albertas Pest and Nuisance Control Regulation Act, it has allowed for more tests to be conducted on infection levels in the province. The Alberta Seed Processors facilitate testing for a map annually, and it has shown levels of fusarium infected seed are on the rise.I would say growers need to be very cognizant of what is out there. And you can do that by testing the grain that youve harvested as well as the cereal seed one intends to plant, Turkington says in a phone interview.Bacterial leaf streak on a wheat crop. Fusarium head blight on a wheat head. Bacterial leaf streak (BLS) has been onPHOTO: MIKE HARDING PHOTO: KELLY TURKINGTONthe rise in Alberta, especially on cereal crops grown with irrigation. Harding recommends farmers to scout for it and ifOnce thats been introduced, it doesn'tIts always a good idea to keep crops as there is excessive rain be aware the risk forgo away either. So, prairie wide clubroothealthy as possible. The most important infection rises. is already commonwe can expectreason for that is so that we can reach the You cannot manage bacterial leaf streakto see clubroot symptoms in regions itgenetic potential with respect to yield, with a fungicide. So, if you see spots onis established. And anywhere that weHarding adds. It also helps the crop; a cereal leaves, and you make an assumptiongrow canola, or mustard in Alberta, westressed crop has a harder time mounting a that its tan spot, or septoria, or somecan expect to potentially see blackleg ordisease response.other fungal leaf spot, and then you applysclerotinia, Harding explains.a fungicide, but the disease was actuallyOne disease thats becoming more of aHistorical Data Points to Bad Year caused by a bacterium, then youre notproblem in canola, and therefore farmersfor Pulse Root Rotsgoing to see any response to that fungicideshould keep an eye out for, is verticilliumOnce again, farmers should be on the application, Harding explains. stripe. It first showed up in Manitoba alookout for root rots in pulse crops. If He adds there arent any managementnumber of years ago and has been movingfarmers are practicing proper field crop tools to treat BLS, so farmers need to bearound into new fields in Manitoba androtations and havent grown pulses in fields scouting for it and keeping records of whenSaskatchewan, with reports now starting insince 2020, then root rots could be a problem. its found.Alberta, Harding says.You want to look back and think Okay, To protect your canola crops againstwell, what were the weather conditions Canola Disease Threats Lurk these diseases, Harding recommends youlike in 2020, when you had that pea and in Soil stick to a crop rotation with at least a two- lentil crop in the field? And unfortunately, Farmers can expect more of the sameyear break between growing susceptible2020 was a fairly wet year. When we look at when it comes to diseases in their canolacrops. Farmers should also grow canolathe past few years of precipitation history, crops. As in years past, blackleg, sclerotiniavarieties that have resistance to any diseases2020 does stand out as a wetter year. So and clubroot may impact crops. All threethey have seen in their fields in the past. Inthat means that risk will be higher in those pathogens are in soils and canola residuesseason fungicide treatments can also befields that had pea or lentil in 2020 going across Alberta. used for many fungal diseases. into 2024, Syama Chatterton, pulse 20seed.ab.ca"