A lush green alfalfa crop in Manitoba's Interlake region.

Managing diseases in alfalfa

From seedling issues to stand die-off, understanding the timing and symptoms of alfalfa diseases can help protect yield

Understanding the multiple potential disease pressures on your alfalfa stand can help you improve its yield.

Holly Derksen, technical support specialist with UPL, was in front of display plots at the Ag in Motion farm show in Langham, Sask., earlier this year.  |  Don Norman photo

Tank mix boosts aphanomyces seed treatment

Adding UPL’s Belmont as a tank mix to Rancona Trio increases the product’s effectiveness from suppression to control 

Glacier FarmMedia – Farmers have another weapon in their arsenal to combat aphanomyces root rot. It’s been two years since UPL’s Rancona Trio was registered for early season suppression of aphanomyces in lentils and peas, but its product Belmont is now registered as a tank mix option for the Rancona Trio. It provides early season […] Read more

A website, rootrot.ca, has been launched through the Pulse Root Rot Network. Users can access information on agronomy, breeding and pathology to advance research and management practices. | Screencap via rootrot.ca

Website launched to fight pulse root rot

Glacier FarmMedia – Pea and lentil growers looking to gain the upper hand against root rot diseases have a new resource. A website, rootrot.ca, has been launched through the Pulse Root Rot Network. Users can access information on agronomy, breeding and pathology to advance research and management practices. The website is part of the Manitoba […] Read more


If plant scientists can identify genes connected to an undesirable trait, eliminating those genes could produce a stronger, better tasting and healthier crop.  |  File photo

Root rot in research lens

WINNIPEG — Pulse crops breeders have had some success in developing varieties of peas and lentils with genetic resistance to root rot. Researchers from the University of Saskatchewan have developed lines of peas with partial resistance to aphanomyces, a stubborn soil pathogen that causes root rot. “Some promising lines are now in registration trials,” said […] Read more

This field was affected by aphanomyces root rot.  |  Jennifer Blair photo

Aphanomyces soil test gets refined

A still-developing test to tell producers how bad the aphanomyces spore load is in their fields is gaining polish, thanks to more farmers across Canada sending in samples. Knowing the spore load of a field could be a powerful planning tool. The soil-borne disease has a reputation for being both hard to manage and long-lived. […] Read more


An example of early season aphanomyces root rot. | Syama Chatterton photo

Make the most of a pause from pulses

Growers forced by disease to eschew peas and lentils have options to stay productive while the threat abates

It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but pulse producers across the Prairies have come to expect it. If there is aphanomyces root rot in a field where peas, lentils or other susceptible pulses are grown, there is little choice but to rotate crops without those pulses until the disease is gone. That can take six […] Read more

Pulse crops such as peas, lentils, chickpeas and faba beans are susceptible to various kinds of root rot with few control options other than long rotations. | File photo

Disease management comes down to basics

With resistance still an elusive research goal, rotation of both crops and fungicides remains the best tool against disease

Identifying and managing diseases is crucial to yield and grain quality. Spraying technology, chemical application and new seed varieties help in the battle for healthy crops, but fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms continuously adapt, becoming resistant to genetic defences and crop protection products. So, what are the latest threats? Green and yellow peas, chickpeas, lentils, […] Read more

A short-term goal for the Strategic Research Initiative in Saskatchewan is to determine how long growers should wait before growing lentils and peas again in the same field.  |  File photo

New research strategy developed for root rot

Sask. gov’t, farm groups kick in $4.2 million to tackle aphanomyces and other diseases that threaten pea and lentil crops

A $4.2 million investment in root rot research is a “big deal” for farmers and Canada’s pulse industry, says a University of Saskatchewan scientist. Saskatchewan agriculture minister David Marit announced $2.5 million in provincial and federal funding last week to find solutions for root rot in peas and lentils. Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, the Western Grains […] Read more


Tom Warkentin, a researcher from the University of Saskatchewan, kneels in a field of peas.

Seeking sources of pea root rot resistance

Pea breeders are heading back to U.S. and French roots in search of genes for durable resistance against aphanomyces

Greenhouse testing at the University of Saskatchewan has shown that several pea varieties have partial resistance. But those results come with a large asterisk: indoor conditions are very different from field conditions.


Close-up of a pea plant in bloom.

Pulse breeders get serious about tackling root rot problem

A joint Limagrain-Saskatchewan Pulse Growers program is in full swing as it searches for a solution to aphanomyces

In the latest episode of Saskatchewan Pulse Growers' Pulse of the Prairies podcast, Jason Reinheimer of Limagrain said the French company is combining the best-known sources of resistance from North America and Europe to combat the devastating root rot disease.