Saskatchewan Agriculture

Chickpeas are expected to be particularly hard hit by ascochyta blight this year. The specific species of ascochyta that infect chickpeas are in field residue this year because the disease was a problem in 1999. As well, the wet spring provided perfect conditions for ascochyta. Increased levels found in this year’s seed samples also contributed […] Read more

A new study has outlined the technique for identifying alfalfa blossom blight caused by botrytis and sclerotinia. “The main symptom is dead and dying flowers at the bottom of infected flower clusters,” said Bruce Gossen, research scientist at Agriculture Canada’s Saskatoon Research Centre. “If one of these dying flowers is pulled off, several accompany it […] Read more

The Centre for Agricultural Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan has created disposable notices to warn people about fields sprayed with insecticide. The goal is to prevent accidental entry into sprayed fields. The yellow, disposable plastic bag states “Pesticide Applied” and can be secured to fence posts or stakes. The bag has space for the […] Read more

It seems clubmoss isn’t so bad after all. Many producers believe that the common ground cover found on large tracts of rangeland on the southern Prairies inhibits growth and productivity of desirable forages, and has a negative effect on beef production. But the final report from a three-year project that examined the effect of clubmoss […] Read more

Stressful weather conditions can affect herbicide performance. “If the plant systems targeted by the herbicide are not functioning properly due to stress – temperatures that are too hot or too cold, moisture levels that are too high or too low, or extreme events such as frost, hail or severe winds – the herbicide effectiveness may […] Read more

The spring update of the 2000 Guide to Crop Protection is now available at Saskatchewan rural service centres. It contains changes that have occurred since the guide was released in January, including several new tank mixes of established products, and new registrations of products. “For example, Amitrol 240 is a new burnoff registration for control […] Read more

Saskatchewan researchers are looking for a way to control coriander flower blight, but first they have to figure out what causes the disease. Saskatchewan farmers seeded 25,000 acres to coriander last year. Ray McVicar, Saskatchewan Agriculture’s special crops specialist, expects price and disease will lower that number this year. He said some farmers lost entire […] Read more

The annual Vegetable Cultivar and Cultural Trials, a publication prepared for Saskat-chewan’s commercial vegetable growers, could be the bible of home gardeners as well. This document, its colorful cover a promise of the bounty ahead, is the result of 17 years of vegetable cultivar evaluations and cultural trials conducted annually by staff of the vegetable […] Read more

Should pulse crop growers use starter nitrogen? Pulse and soil specialists say it depends on the type of pulse crop, the weather and the level of nitrogen in the soil. Ray McVicar, special crops specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture, said producers are looking to reduce crop inputs, particularly this year, and decreasing nitrogen fertilizer on their […] Read more

Macronutrients in the soil, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulfur, determine at least 97 percent of nutrient-based yield increases, says Saskatchewan Agriculture soil specialist Ken Panchuk. As a result, management of macronutrients should be a producer’s highest priority, he said. “But deficiencies of micronutrients – boron, copper, chloride, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zinc – […] Read more