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SaskCanola offers free disease testing program for canola producers

This summer and fall, SaskCanola, in collaboration with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, is offering free disease testing for blackleg, clubroot and verticillium stripe to provincial canola producers.

Clubroot and blackleg disease testing have been offered for a couple of years, but new this year, testing for verticillium stripe has been added to the line-up. Since verticillium stripe was first reported in 2014, there is still much to learn about this disease and because its symptoms present similar to blackleg and sclerotinia, it can be easily confused and assumed to be another canola disease.

“Farmers can’t manage the unknown,” says SaskCanola research chair, Codie Nagy. “Our disease testing program helps identify pests so farmers can manage the spread and maximize yields.”

Soil testing is the optimal way to detect the clubroot pathogen prior to canola plants appearing symptomatic. Soil samples should be collected in late summer or around swathing time. To start the clubroot testing process, farmers can call the SaskCanola office at (306) 975-0262 to request a soil sampling bag.

Stem testing is the only way to know whether your canola field has blackleg or verticillium stripe. Samples should be collected while plants are still green, around swathing time. The first 200 registered canola producers who apply are eligible for a free blackleg and verticillium stripe test, as only one sample is needed to test for both diseases. To begin the blackleg and verticillium stripe testing process, farmers are asked to email blacklegtesting@saskcanola.com

Click here for comprehensive information about SaskCanola’s disease testing program.