Pre Harvest Blackleg Checks Help Protect Canola Yield and Quality
Blackleg is one of the most important diseases affecting canola production. It can reduce crop yield, lower quality, increase lodging, and affect overall farm profitability. Effective management is important for maintaining healthy crops and producing high-quality canola.
Keep it Clean is encouraging farmers to use an integrated blackleg management strategy instead of relying on a single control method. Combining several management practices helps reduce disease pressure and supports long-term crop health.
Crop rotation is one of the most effective tools for controlling blacklegs. The disease-causing pathogen can survive infected canola residue left in the field. Maintaining at least a two-year break between canola crops allows crop residue to break down and reduces the chance of infection. Longer rotations can provide even greater protection.
Selecting resistant canola varieties is another important step. Farmers should choose varieties with strong resistance ratings and rotate different resistance sources over time. Testing fields for blackleg races can also help identify the most suitable resistance options for future seasons.
Regular field scouting plays a major role in disease management. Monitoring fields throughout the growing season helps identify disease levels and allows farmers to evaluate the success of their current management practices. The information gathered can support better rotation and a variety of decisions in future years.
Enhanced seed treatments may help protect young plants from early infection, while foliar fungicides can be useful in higher-risk situations. These tools should be used as part of a complete disease management program.
Managing alternate host plants is also important. Volunteer canola and weeds from the Brassica family can allow the pathogen to survive between growing seasons. Controlling these plants helps reduce disease carryovers.
The best time to scout for blackleg is just before swathing or when about 60 percent of seeds have changed colour. Farmers should examine at least 50 plants across the field and inspect stem cross sections for black discolouration. Disease severity ratings can help estimate yield losses and guide future management decisions.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-ligora