New crop research coming out of Bon Accord suggests that fungicides can boost crop yields by up to 40 per cent.
About 100 county-area farmers will be coming to the Morinville Community Culture Centre next week to hear about the latest in crop research in Alberta as part of a regional crop production workshop.
The free all-day workshop will look at the latest technologies that farmers can use to improve their bottom lines, said organizer Bill Chapman. Speakers will discuss plant diseases, treatment techniques and new crop varieties now under study in the province.
"It's of very topical interest."
Stacking science
Of particular local interest is agronomist Sheri Strydhorst's stacked agronomy trial now underway on an experimental plot near Bon Accord, Chapman said.
Most current agricultural research typically tests the effect of one chemical or one treatment on a crop at a time, Strydhorst said – doing several at once is expensive and complex.
But that's not how farmers use these treatments in real life – they'll use multiple crop varieties and treatments, "stacking" them on top of each other, which can yield unexpected results.
"We want to make sure that the particular matching of those practices (farmers use) gives them a synergy and not a negative interaction."
Strydhorst is testing the effects of 48 wheat and 64 barley treatments on about 12 varieties of crop on a 10-acre site east of Morinville on Excelsior Road. She's set out about 624 two-by-five metre test plots and applied different combinations of growth regulators, nitrogen fertilizers and fungicide to each. Similar plots are in operation at five other Alberta sites to account for climatic differences.
The three-year study is now in its second year and is already yielding results. Fungicides appear to boost yields in crops grown in warm, moist conditions by up to 40 per cent, for example – much more than the gains seen by using growth regulators or nitrogen fertilizer. This suggests that fungicides are worth the investment if you've got warm, wet conditions, Strydhorst said.
Plant diseases
Dan Orchard of the Canola Council of Canada will be at the talk to discuss clubroot – the soil-borne canola killing disease running rampant throughout Alberta.
Pathotype 5X clubroot is currently able to infest all types of canola on the market, Orchard said. While there's one variety available that's slightly resistant to it, it won't be a saviour to you if you've already got 5X in your field.
"The pathogens will keep shuffling in the field when we keep putting the pressure on it. This new strain of clubroot, 5X, might just be the beginning."
European research suggests that clubroot resistance tends to break down after two to three plantings, Orchard said.
"If you overuse a tool, Mother Nature will find a way to get around it."
The best defence available is to keep a long crop rotation Orchard said – a few years more between canola crops can potentially double the life of a resistant variety. Farmers should also thoroughly clean dirt from their equipment before switching fields, as the disease spreads through soil.
Disease diagnostician Trevor Blois of 20/20 Seed Labs will speak on fusarium or head blight – an emerging cereal disease in central Alberta.
Fusarium is a fungal disease that produces toxins harmful to people and livestock, Alberta Agriculture reports. It's a declared pest under provincial law (meaning it's illegal to sell seed that has it) and is currently costing Manitoba millions of dollars in losses each year.
While there have been no confirmed cases in Sturgeon County yet, Blois said fusarium is definitely present in southern Alberta and (based on recent DNA tests) probably here as well. Area farmers should consider testing their seed for fusarium as a result.
The talk runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., this March 10. Call Anita Vest at 780-939-8325 March 5 to register.
