Research Blog

Safely storing harvested canola is critical to maintaining seed quality until it can be delivered. Several risk factors can be considered for the type and size of storage options and equipment that a grower has, as well as the logistics of the operation and the amount of time that the grain will be stored for.…

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Careful decision making, financial input and significant effort by farmers all growing season is aimed at maximizing yield. So, continuing to protect the crop’s yield by reducing pod shatter and pod drop losses at harvest takes advantage of all that has gone into the mature crop. Harvest loss survey results To investigate how much of…

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Overview of blackleg in canola Although symptoms can sometime be confused with sclerotinia stem rot or verticillium stripe, blackleg has been a major disease of canola in the Canadian Prairies for several decades. Prevalence and incidence of blackleg (primarily caused by the fungal pathogen Leptosphaeria maculans in Canada) varies between years, but favourable environmental conditions…

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The cabbage seedpod weevil, Ceutorhynchus obstrictus (Marsham), which originated in Europe, was first found in British Columbia in the 1930s and has since increased its range into the Prairies. The beetle (from the family Curculionidae) consumes several plants from the family Brassicaceae, including canola (Brassica napus). At high populations, can have a significant impact on…

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Sclerotinia disease cycle overview Sclerotinia stem rot is a plant disease that can occur in canola when conditions are favourable. As with all diseases, this happens when an appropriate host plant is present, environmental conditions are conducive and the pathogen is present (known as the disease triangle). In the case of sclerotinia stem rot, the…

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