Avian flu risk continues despite lull, researchers warn

Aug 09, 2023

It was a quiet spring for avian influenza outbreaks at commercial poultry operations in Western Canada.

Only two commercial operations, one each in Alberta and British Columbia, have reported infections, compared with the dozens hit in 2022 in both provinces. Saskatchewan and Manitoba have seen no cases so far this year.Last year, a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza caused more than 7.5 million birds to be culled.

Despite the calmer situation, researchers are warning the virus is unlikely to have dissipated and producers should remain vigilant as the fall approaches and the migratory birds, which have spread the bird flu across the Americas, return.

Dr. Tony Redford, poultry researcher with B.C.’s Ministry of Agriculture, said it’s unclear why there are fewer cases this spring in commercial farms, following a winter when many populations of migratory birds died of the bird flu.

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Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.