MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — A canola breeder has developed a new trait that makes canola meal far more competitive with soybean meal. Until now, canola meal has traded at a 35 percent discount to soybean meal in markets around the world because of its inferior protein levels. Dow AgroSciences has spent the last 15 years developing […] Read more
Tag Archives Research
Insect found in Alberta but disease not present
The psyllid story sets up like a good news-bad news scenario. The bad news is that the potato psyllid, a tiny insect that can carry zebra chip disease that is harmful to potato production and appearance, has been found in Alberta. The good news is that it isn’t carrying the disease. Dan Johnson, an entomologist […] Read more
Research centre junks paper library
Dumpsters were full of books, reports and other paper at Agriculture Canada’s Lethbridge Research Centre two weeks ago when the centre’s library was dismantled and its materials discarded. The move was criticized by the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada as further evidence of the Conservative government’s “war on science.” The union, which […] Read more
Employing healthy microbes key to better crop
Micro-organisms from host plants are used to improve germination, crop yield and ability to handle stress
A new discovery in the world of micro-organisms has potentially big implications for farmers. University of Saskatchewan microbiologists Vladimir Vujanovic and Jim Germida have discovered a natural way for many crops to better handle stressful conditions such as drought and heat. The agriculture scientists have found a new group of microbes within plant cell tissues […] Read more
Fast is buzzword in corn research
Its new research facility looks like a big red barn, but Dupont Pioneer expects to produce a whole lot of green from its Lethbridge site. Early maturing corn is the focus — corn that requires fewer heat units to reach maturity and can be harvested for grain before fall frost. “From a development standpoint, we […] Read more
Potatoes free of zebra chip — so far
The disease has caused huge potato losses in the U.S., but the insect hasn’t crossed into Canada yet
Negative results are a good thing for Canadian potato growers and entomologist and researcher Dan Johnson. The University of Lethbridge scientist is the lead on a project to watch for the potato psyllid, a tiny insect that can carry a pathogen causing a harmful condition called zebra chip in potatoes. Zebra chip causes black stripes […] Read more
Spore ID helps prevent late blight
Identifying the different genotypes will help growers select the right fungicide
Traps designed to identify potato blight spores could help potato growers prevent infection of their crops. Researcher and Lethbridge College instructor Melanie Kalischuk is in the second year of a three-year project to erect a network of volumetric traps that will help her and her students identify the presence of late blight spores. The information […] Read moreUniversity eager to use donation to educate veterinarians, farmers
A major donation to support animal welfare research at the University of Guelph will be devoted to further education for veterinarians and producers. Dairy giant Saputo donated at total of $1 million to the Universities of Guelph and Wisconsin to develop more courses for those working with cows. Guelph plans to create an intensive rotation […] Read more
Resistant canola may be no match for new clubroot
Don’t panic yet | Cultivars still appear to be resistant in most fields, says agronomist
Alberta officials are investigating further evidence that existing clubroot resistant canola cultivars are vulnerable to a new strain of the disease. The strain was discovered last year after materials were collected from six fields in the Edmonton area that showed higher-than-normal disease incidence. From that, Stephen Strelkov of the University of Alberta was able to […] Read more
BVD exposure may increase respiratory disease potential
Persistently infected calves are important sources of bovine viral diarrhea virus in cattle, but they might also cause respiratory disease at the feedlot level. Dr. Dan Grooms of the Michigan State University recently told the Academy of Veterinary Consultants in Denver, Colorado, that these calves occur at a relatively low prevalence of three to five […] Read more
