Weather variability plays a role in whether crop problems worsen, says crop pathologist
Preparation and good agronomic practices, including crop rotation, good genetics and diligent scouting, are better protections for farmers than crop disease forecasts, says Alberta Agriculture crop pathologist Michael Harding.
Speaking at the Jan. 21 Agronomy Update in Lethbridge, Harding reviewed last year’s crop disease activity in Alberta, noting weather variability and its role in crop problems.
“Your memory of what 2014 was like might have been very different from someone who lived 20 miles away,” he said.
A cool June affected disease development and a cool September affected crop quality and grade in most regions.
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Central Alberta barley crops had a 70 percent incidence of barley scald and a 30 percent incidence of spot blotch. Net blotch, smut and stripe rust were also reported in that crop.
Harding said reports of white, empty barley heads at harvest were probably a combination of fusarium or pythium and environmental stress from high temperatures and hot wind.
In wheat, stagnonospora, septoria and tan spot were issues. Stripe rust was extreme in many central Alberta winter wheat fields but not widespread in spring wheat.
“This year, stripe rust was interesting. It showed up in May in the Olds-Trochu area,” said Harding.
“We were poised for a major stripe rust outbreak in Alberta” based on that early sighting, but it did not materialize in spring cereals.
Harding said fusarium head blight downgraded many winter wheat crops, and there were higher levels in barley and triticale than previously seen.
However, the disease was less of a factor in 2014 than in previous years. Ergot reports were high, but no harvest survey results are available yet.
In canola, clubroot and verticillium wilt continue to be concerns, as does blackleg, but stem rot and aster yellows were not of concern last year.
In pulses, mycosphaerella blight was present in most fields but was less of an issue in the past crop year, Harding said. White mould was present in dry beans, but the problem was less severe in 2014 than it has been.
Chocolate spot in fababeans was frequently reported last year. Stemphylium botryosum is a new problem with fababeans, causing russet blotches on leaves and pods.
