Dr. Sam Markell, NDSU Plant Pathologist comments from the recent Crop & Pest Report:

Conditions may be favorable for sclerotinia infection in canola this year. For infection to occur, three environmental conditions need to be met. First, the soil needs to be moist for a week or two prior to flowering (this allows the apothecia to germinate and produce spores). The pathogen needs about of 1-2 inches of rain within 1-2 weeks to germinate and produce spores.  Second, humid, foggy, or rainy conditions need to persist for a couple days while the plant is blooming (this allows the spores to geminate and cause infection).  Third, sclerotinia won’t infect if it gets to hot, infection is less likely above about 85 degrees. In much of the state, there is enough soil moisture to produce apothecia.  Personnel for Production Services Agronomy have found apothecia north of Minot, and I suspect apothecia are going to be formed in the NE part of the state after the recent rains.  In parts of the state canola is already blooming, and in other parts it will start very soon.  If those three above conditions describe your field during early bloom, you may want to consider a fungicide application to protect the crop.

Unfortunately, we lost Ronilan® as a fungicide option. However; Endura®, Proline®, Quash®, Quadris®, and thiophanate methyl products (Topsin®, T-methyl®, Thiophanate methyl®) are available for use. We have multiple years of data on Endura®, Proline® and thiophanate methyl products, and some data on Quadris®.  For management, it doesn’t really look like one product consistently rises to the top. If environmental conditions are favorable for disease, they all seem to work. The most important thing for management is to get the fungicide on at the right time. Target early bloom (20%), or at least the first half of bloom. If you miss the window, your likelihood of control goes down quickly. Always read and follow the label.  Remember, you need all three factors for disease.  Even if the soil is wet, a forecast of hot and dry (low humidity as well) weather will prevent infection. 

For photos of bloom stages and more detailed information on sclerotinia go to

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/plantsci/crops/pp1410.pdf

For the 2008 ND field crop fungicide guide go to

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/extplantpath/fungicide.html

CANOLA RISK MAP DOWN

For those of you who have been using the risk map in previous years,  the map is down.  Those in charge of it are working on getting it up, and we hope to have it up ASAP.  However, the risk assessment calculator appears to be working.

However, these two user interfaces are still based on the environmental conditions I mentioned above.  You know your land better than anyone.  If you think you meet the conditions and the risk assessment calculator doesn’t show it, you are probably right. The risk calculator is available at

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/sclerotinia/sclerotinia/login.html

Today the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) launched a grassroots response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed rule on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS-2).  The Northern Canola Growers Association and the NBB are calling on you and all supporters of clean, renewable energy to urge the EPA to implement a workable RFS-2 program.  In December of 2007, Congress passed a law requiring that clean, renewable biodiesel be used to supplement the diesel fuel supply.  Six months after they were required by law to have a program in place, the EPA proposed draft regulations that, if adopted, would make it extraordinarily difficult for the program to succeed as intended by the law.

We need as many biodiesel supporters as possible to submit consistent comments to the EPA by September 25, 2009 – the new, extended deadline for public comments on the EPA’s proposed RFS-2 rule.  The NBB has developed two sample comment documents. One is a shorter version that simply includes the top priority comments. The second is a longer version that includes more detail and arguments to support the comments. The longer version is preferred, but the abbreviated version was created to make it faster and easier to complete the process and to ask that others complete it as well. We ask you to submit your comments right away and reach out to your friends, work colleagues, and professional networks to do the same.

Visit the RFS-2 Action Center link to access all of the information and resources you need.

This year the NCGA is once again teaming up with the Langdon Research Extension Center to give canola growers an in-depth tour of canola research projects.

The Langdon tour will take place on Thursday, July 9th from 9 a.m. to Noon. Disease research, the NCGA Canola Agronomic Survey, Oilseeds Center of Excellence and other agronomy updates will be provided at this tour.  25 gallons of Power Max will be given away courtesy of Monsanto.  Free lunch will be provided.

Planted acres of canola are reported to be down from the March Projected Plantings Report for North Dakota.  According to the National Ag Statistics Service, North Dakota farmers planted 740,000 acres of canola in 2009, down from last year’s 915,000 acres and down 25,000 acres from the March Projected Plantings Report.  Excessively wet spring weather caused acres to go unplanted primarily in the northeast area of the state.

The USDA indicated 847,000 acres of canola were planted in the U.S., down 16% from last year.