New strains of clubroot discovered in Western Canadian crops

University of Alberta researchers have found new clubroot strains capable of infecting canola plants bred to resist the disease.

Now, a variety of management strategies are needed to counter evolving threats to Prairie crops.

Researchers identified 25 unique clubroot pathotypes from samples collected from more than 250 fields in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba in 2019 and 2020. Seven of the strains are new and six can bypass the crop’s bred resistance against the disease.

Keisha Hollman is a PhD candidate in plant science in the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences.