Research Results

Crucifer root maggots are an economic pest of canola production. However, the extent of root maggot injury to canola across the prairies was not known.

Researchers at the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Station in Swift Current wanted to determine the adaptability of B. juncea genotypes to the agroclimatic conditions in the semiarid prairie.

The Scott Research Farm began to reevaluate fall seeding in 1993 after the introduction of herbicide tolerant canola cultivars. Numerous studies were conducted at Scott from 1996 to 1998 to evaluate the effect of fall and early spring seeding of herbicide tolerant canola.

In central and northern Alberta, yield reductions from root maggot infestations can reach 52% in crops of Brassica rapa (Polish canola) and 20% in Brassica napus (Argentine canola).

In western Canada, alternaria black spot is caused mainly by Alternaria brassicae and to a lesser extent by A. raphani. It is most damaging on spring sown Polish canola (Brassica rapa).

Researchers conducted a field study in 1995 near Star City, Saskatchewan in the Gray soil zone, which compared the effectiveness of different sulfur forms added as sources of fertilizer sulfur for canola.

The amount of UV-B radiation reaching the Earth’s surface is increasing yearly, and UV-B radiation, in sufficient doses, harms sensitive plants and reduces yields.

Nitrogen fertilizer is one of the most important external inputs for improving crop growth and yields. Researchers were interested in finding biological alternatives that could optimize and/or replace N-fertilizers, and in 1996 a three-year project was initiated at the University of Saskatchewan to isolate rhizobacteria able to fix atmospheric nitrogen for canola.

Blackleg is an extremely important disease of canola and all of the control measures used have their drawbacks. Because the blackleg fungus survives only in the plant residues, researchers wanted to find out if it was possible that the incidence of the disease could be reduced if the rate of straw decomposition could be increased.

In central Alberta, infestations of root maggots (Delia spp.) and flea beetles (Phyllotreta spp.) cause substantial economic losses in canola.

A field research trial to evaluate the performance of five bolt-on side band openers in crop establishment and final yield and quality was conducted at 10 locations in Saskatchewan in 1995 and 1996.

Research at the University of Saskatchewan in 1995 tested the effects of N, P, and K rates on the percentage emergence of canola, peas and wheat grown in five different soil types.