Safflower seedling research
Patchy stand establishment has been a major concern of safflower growers. It is often caused by fungal pathogens which invade the young tissue of germinating seeds or seedlings, causing a disease known as damping-off.
An indoor study at the Agriculture Canada research station in Lethbridge, Alta,. found that damping-off of safflower caused by the soil-borne pythium pathogen is affected by soil moisture and soil temperature.
The disease was most severe at high soil moisture and high soil temperature (25¡C) and was less severe when the soil temperature was 10¡C or lower. Safflower seeded into warm soil is likely to have poor stand establishment due to damping-off, especially if soil is wet. To avoid damping-off, farmers should seed early, when soil is cool.
Read Also
VIDEO: Green Lightning and Nytro Ag win sustainability innovation award
Nytro Ag Corp and Green Lightning recieved an innovation award at Ag in Motion 2025 for the Green Lightning Nitrogen Machine, which converts atmospheric nitrogen into a plant-usable form.
Alternaria is a seedborne pathogen that causes a characteristic discoloration of safflower seeds. In controlled environments, seedling emergence of alternaria-infested, brown seeds was drastically reduced compared with non-infested, white seeds. Over the range of temperatures commonly encountered at the time of seedling emergence on the Prairies, there was no effect of temperature on emergence of alternaria-infected seed.
A field study in 1994 had similar results. White seeds had the highest rate of emergence. For this study, sterilized soil was used to prevent results being confounded by the presence of soil-borne fungi such as pythium. Safflower seedling emergence can be improved by using uncontaminated white seed produced in alternaria-free fields.
Findings indicate seeding early, when soil temperatures are low, and using seed known to be from a growing region free of alternaria, will improve safflower stand establishment. The risk of damping-off also can be reduced by seed treatment. Thiram 75WP is the only fungicide currently registered for use on safflower.
In the long term, use of disease-resistant varieties will be the most effective method to control damping-off in safflower. Efforts are being devoted to screening for pythium-resistance among exotic varieties, advanced breeding lines and early-maturing introductions from the U.S. department of agriculture world collection of safflower germplasm.
– Agriculture Canada
Range plant field guide
One of the most popular Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food publications released in the last year is Field Guide: Identification of Common Range Plants of Southern Saskatchewan. When the first edition of 3,000 was depleted, 10,000 more were printed. A third printing is now under way.
Such popularity is assured for a companion volume, Field Guide: Identification of Common Range Plants of Northern Saskatchewan.
Compiled and edited by Allan Foster, a rangeland agrologist with the Grazing and Pasture Technology Program in Melfort, the northern guide contains a description of 27 grasses, 28 forbs (broad-leaved herbaceous plants,) and 18 shrubs and trees. Each is listed under its common and botanical name and each description is accompanied by a line drawing with identification of parts.
Foster said: “Although it was necessary to repeat some plants from the southern guide, most of them are new. There definitely was a need for a guide to northern Saskatchewan plants.”
The guide also lists the forage value and grazing response of most of the range plants to help producers plan grazing management.
Guides are pocket sized, so producers can take them into the field.
Field Guide: Identification of Common Range Plants of Northern Saskatchewan is free at all Rural Service Centres.
– Saskatchewan Agriculture
