Destructive clubroot disease detected again in Sask. canola fields

A serious disease that affects canola crops has popped up again in Saskatchewan.

Clubroot stops moisture and nutrients from entering the plant, eventually killing it. In fields where there is significant infection, it could mean a loss of 50-100 per cent of the crop's yield.

According to SaskCanola, clubroot has been found in crop district 9B in north central Saskatchewan, adjacent to the Alberta border.

Errin Willenborg, research manager with the organization, said producers in the area should take extra precautions to protect against the spread of the disease.

"It's really just a reminder to all growers to be looking for this disease in their crops," Willenborg said.

It gives the the risk of less profitability in the future.-Franck Groeneweg, Saskatchewan farmer

The disease was first detected in Alberta a number of years ago but wasn't found in Saskatchewan until 2008 when two fields tested positive for the disease.

This is the first time the infection has been found in the province since then.

Franck Groeneweg, who farms near Edgeley, Sask., about 50 km northeast of Regina, said he was disappointed but not surprised by the findings.

"We have Alberta beside us, with quite a few fields with a high incidence of clubroot, and sooner or later, with the frequency we grow canola in rotation with other crops in this province, it just had to come," he said.

The disease can be transported by anything with soil on it, including agricultural equipment, oilfield equipment or recreational vehicles.

The destructive, tumour-like growth needs moisture to complete its lifecycle, so it flourishes in areas that have had more rain. Soil with a lower pH is also favourable to clubroot.

Scouting for the disease

Willenborg said it can be present in a field for two years, but undetectable. At first, clubroot galls may not be visible, but by the time there are 100,000 spores per gram, producers may start to see some infection on their plants.

Often times, it can only be found if farmers pull up a plant and look very closely at the root.

In the area Groeneweg is farming in, none has been detected yet. And he hasn't known any farmers in Saskatchewan or Alberta who have had it in their fields.

Despite this, now that it is in district 9B, Groneweg said he thinks it is likely to spread to the rest of the province.

He said that's a concern as canola is one of the most profitable crops for farmers in Saskatchewan.

"It gives the the risk of less profitability in the future and farming is not always the most profitable activity out there," he said.

If growers suspect clubroot, they can test a soil sample for the disease's DNA. If a field's soil tests positive for clubroot, producers are urged to plant canola only every two or three years.

"Farmers need to maybe lengthen their rotation and try to make the other crops as profitable," Groneweg said.

The Ministry of Agriculture is conducting its annual clubroot survey in the province.

Mustard and other cruciferous crops can also host the disease.

To view more photos of clubroot, visit the Canola Council of Canada website.