By Alireza Akhavan, PhD, AAg, Provincial Specialist-Plant Disease, Crops and Irrigation Branch, Regina; and
Raul Avila, MSc, PAg, Provincial Specialist-Pest regulatory, Crops and Irrigation Branch, Regina
Soil testing is a valuable tool that can be used to detect the clubroot pathogen at low levels. Detecting this pathogen early provides producers in Saskatchewan to implement management strategies to keep spore levels low and reduce the impact on crop yield.
This fall, the Ministry of Agriculture, in collaboration with SaskCanola, is offering free on-farm voluntary soil DNA testing for producers to test their fields for clubroot. SaskCanola is once again covering the costs of the tests. The deadline to submit samples is October 27, 2023.
There are multiple ways to receive a testing bag and instructions:
- Signing up online to receive the items in the mail;
- Visit your local ministry regional office;
- Contact SaskCanola;
- Contact a Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities – Plant Health Technical Advisor;
- Visit your participating rural municipality office.
The program is also available for industry agrologists that would like to sample fields on behalf of their clients. If you are an agrologist and would like to receive a bundle of soil testing bags, please contact SaskCanola.
Results through this program (clubroot DNA findings in the soil) will only be communicated to the submitting producer/agrologist. Findings are only communicated for the purpose of providing agronomic information for producers to manage clubroot in their fields. Ministry staff can provide information and resources on managing clubroot, but they will not plan any additional follow-up on positive fields found through this program unless requested by producers.
The landowner/renter contact information and the name of the rural municipality are required before the sample is processed. Producers do not need to provide specific field legal land descriptions or GIS coordinates of where the soil sample has been taken.
It’s up to producers to decide how they wish to manage clubroot if it is found through this program. Producers are encouraged to monitor their fields and adopt proactive clubroot management. This includes the use of clubroot resistant canola varieties, using extended rotations (minimum two-year break from canola), implementing biosecurity practices and scouting canola crops by examining roots for the presence of clubroot galls. More information is available on the Saskatchewan Clubroot Management Plan.
Soil testing results helps us increase our understanding of the distribution and severity of the pathogen in the province, as well as keep the clubroot distribution map updated. This map only illustrates the location at a rural municipality level, but no specific land locations are revealed on the map.
If you have questions, please contact the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377.