Scouting Canola fields for Clubroot

With fall approaching it is time once again to remember that clubroot has been detected in Yellowhead County. Clubroot is a soil-borne disease that reduces yields of cruciferous crops such as canola, mustards and some vegetables. The disease causes galls or clubs to form on the root systems of infected plants which then restricts the nutrient and water uptake of the plants reducing the yields of crops. The higher rate of the infection of clubroot in the soil, the more severe the yield loss in the crop will be.

Yellowhead County Pest Inspectors will be scouting for this disease in canola and other Brassicaceae fields throughout Yellowhead County from approximately August 28 September 30. Scouts will be taking all possible preventative measures to limit the spread of the disease.

The primary way this disease spreads is by soil movement from infected fields to non-infected fields. This may be done by soil falling off of farm machinery, vehicles, and off-highway vehicles. It may also be spread by wind and water erosion. Equipment sanitation is essential to preventing the establishment of clubroot.

Rotation of crops is highly recommended to prevent the severity of clubroot in ones fields. Continuous cropping of canola may increase the likelihood and severity of infection. There are no treatments currently available for clubroot infected fields/plants so prevention practices are highly recommended. Some things you can do to prevent the establishment of clubroot as:

Check fields regularly and look for abnormalities such as galls and/or clubs on roots, premature ripening and/or wilting plants.

Sanitize machinery, vehicles and equipment before moving into a new area with a solution of 1 per cent bleach and 99 per cent water.

Use clubroot resistant varieties of seed for planting.

In 2015 a new clubroot pathotype was confirmed in the Edmonton region that is able to overcome resistant varieties of seed. Dr. Stephen Strelkov at the University of Alberta looked at samples collected from several fields and was able to verify higher levels of infection than expected in some clubroot resistant varieties. “This is a different pathotype that none of the commercially available clubroot resistant varieties in Western Canada are effective at managing,” says Strelkov.

The Canola Council of Canada has advised that canola growers and agronomists scout their clubroot resistant varieties this summer with extra effort and vigilance. A focused survey in the Edmonton region has been underway to help better understand the pathogen’s prevalence and distribution.

Please see www.clubroot.ca for more details or contact the Yellowhead County Agricultural Department in the Wildwood County Office at: 53404 Rge Rd 92A or call toll free: 1 800 814-3935