Does It Make Sense To Apply Fungicide To Protect Against Blackleg?

Jun 11, 2018

Early season infection of blackleg in canola can occur, especially when the crop has been wounded by hail, wind, frost, or insect feeding.

The question on growers minds is whether or not to use a fungicide at the herbicide timing to protect their crop from blackleg infection.

Holly Derksen, plant pathologist with Manitoba Agriculture, says there are a number of factors to consider.

Below is a list included in the province's most recent disease update:

- What is your rotation? A field with tight rotation (2-year or less) is also higher risk for blackleg infection

- Have you seen yield loss from blackleg in the past?

- Has the environment been conducive for infection? The release of ascospores from overwintering bodies is favoured following a rainfall and when temperatures range from 16 to 20°c.

- Is your crop worth it? How bad is the insect damage, do you want to be investing more money in this particular field?

Source : Steinbachonline

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.