PHOTO: Bacterial leaf streak.
Alberta farmers only need to look at the history of their fields and weather from years past to predict what pests and crop diseases they’ll face this year. Part 2 of a four-part feature. Click here for Part 1.
While cereal crops may be hit by the common leaf spot diseases and rusts, there are some newer diseases which farmers should be on the lookout for. Kelly Turkington, research scientist in plant pathology with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), reminds farmers should always pay attention to field history though and prepare to face any diseases that may have reared their heads there in the past.
Since Fusarium graminearum was removed from Alberta’s Pest and Nuisance Control Regulation Act, it has allowed for more tests to be conducted on infection levels in the province. The Alberta Seed Processors facilitate testing for a map annually, and it has shown levels of fusarium infected seed are on the rise.
“I would say growers need to be very cognizant of what is out there. And you can do that by testing the grain that you’ve harvested as well as the cereal seed one intends to plant,” Turkington says in a phone interview.
Fusarium graminearum.
Bacterial leaf streak (BLS) has been on the rise in Alberta, especially on cereal crops grown with irrigation. Harding recommends farmers to scout for it and if there is excessive rain be aware the risk for infection rises.
“You cannot manage bacterial leaf streak with a fungicide. So, if you see spots on cereal leaves, and you make an assumption that it’s tan spot, or septoria, or some other fungal leaf spot, and then you apply a fungicide, but the disease was actually caused by a bacterium, then you’re not going to see any response to that fungicide application,” Harding explains.
He adds there aren’t any management tools to treat BLS, so farmers need to be scouting for it and keeping records of when it’s found.
