Clubroot threatening canola crops
REGINA For Gerry Hertz, clubroot is not yet a crisis — but an ever-present threat looming over Saskatchewan.
“It’s a significant problem that we have to deal with,” said the Edenwold-area farmer and member of the Saskcanola board of directors. “But it’s not too late. It’s something that we have to focus on and be prudent.”
Hertz was reacting to a provincial survey that found visible symptoms of clubroot in 43 commercial canola fields, after testing 1,500 fields during summer and fall of 2018. The pathogen responsible for the disease was confirmed in an additional three.
Clubroot is caused by a fungus-like organism that infests plants and causes swelling on the roots. It restricts absorption of water and nutrients, ultimately resulting in the plant’s untimely death.
According to the Canola Council of Canada, it can lead to 100 per cent crop loss when conditions are favourable to the organism’s spores.
The disease was detected in the Edmonton area in 2003, and has since spread across much of Alberta. Hertz said it was found in Saskatchewan about five years ago, prompting efforts to clean up the affected fields. But once begun, the battle is never over.
“Once you’ve got it, you never eliminate it,” he said. “It’s something we need to be diligent on forever.”
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, clubroot cropped up in two Saskatchewan crop districts in 2017, prompting increased surveillance efforts in 2018.
The survey, conducted in partnership with Saskcanola and the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, aimed to better understand where clubroot is an issue and guide prevention efforts.
The survey found clubroot in 19 rural municipalities, many of them in the northwest part of Saskatchewan’s agricultural land, around Meadow Lake, North Battleford and Lloydminister, as well as around Saskatoon.
Hertz said there are effective methods to contain the pest, which spreads through the soil.
According to the ministry, the key to controlling clubroot is keeping pathogen levels low. It recommends using clubroot-resistant canola varieties and putting them on a three-year rotation. The Canola Council of Canada agrees, and also advises farmers to sanitize equipment and minimize soil movement.
In its news release, the ministry said all of the farmers or landowners
Once you’ve got it, you never eliminate it. It’s something we need to be diligent on forever.
with visible clubroot symptoms have been contacted.
They will be required to develop a “clubroot management agreement” that includes science-based strategies for their affected fields.
Hertz said the industry will also be organizing grower meetings throughout the province to educate farmers. It’s also working with municipalities to develop bylaws to guide management efforts.