G. D. Turnbull

Effect of temperature, seeding date, fungicide seed treatment and inoculation with Fusarium avenaceum on seedling survival, root rot severity and yield of lentil.

Early seeding of lentil is necessary on the northern prairies to ensure that the crop has time to mature. However, planting into cold soils in spring results in slow germination, which may predispose seedlings to infection by soil-borne pathogens. In a controlled-environment study of the impact of temperature on infection of lentil seedlings (cv. Eston) byFusarium avenaceum, root rot symptoms were most severe at warm temperatures (20° to 27.5 °C) and declined in warmer or cooler soils. Field plots were seeded on three dates, which were spaced about 2 wk apart between early May and early June in four station years. Seedling emergence was most consistent and seed yield was highest in three of four sites at the second seeding date. Emergence and yield were substantially lower for the latest seeding date. Inoculation with F. avenaceum reduced establishment and seed yield. Seed treatment with Crown (thiabendazole and carbathiin) improved seedling survival, reduced root rot severity and increased seed yield rel...

Sensitivity of field populations of Ascochyta rabiei to chlorothalonil, mancozeb and pyraclostrobin fungicides and effect of strobilurin fungicides on the progress of ascochyta blight of chickpea

Chickpea production faces a major challenge from ascochyta blight (Ascochyta rabiei), a devastating disease that can cause total crop loss. To assess the effect of repeated fungicide application on disease progress, strobilurin fungicides, primarily alternating pyraclostrobin and azoxystrobin treatments, were applied up to five times per year in each of 2 yr. A single application or two early applications reduced blight severity. A third application resulted in additional benefits in 1 of 2 yr, but additional applications did not reduce severity further. To monitor for fungicide tolerance in populations of A. rabiei, 66 single- spore isolates were collected and grown on growth media amended with chlorothalonil, mancozeb, or pyraclostrobin. Insensitivity to one or more of the fungicides was detected in 49 (74%) of the isolates. Based on the effect on conidial germination, insensitivity to pyraclostrobin or chlorothalonil was observed in 26 of 37 isolates (70%). Repeated fungicide application may be selecti...

Etiology, impact and control of rhizoctonia seedling blight and root rot of chickpea on the Canadian prairies

Studies were undertaken to assess the impact of seedling blight and root rot caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG-4 on nodulation and seed yield of chickpea. The effects of pathogen inoculum concentration and seed damage on disease severity were also measured. Chickpea seedlings were grown under controlled-environment conditions in sterilized soil amended with pathogenic isolates of R. solani and in field plot experiments where the inoculum was incorporated with the seed at planting. In greenhouse experiments, emergence and dry matter production declined and root rot severity increased with increasing inoculum concentration. Root rot reduced nodulation where lesions covered more than 25% of the root surface. For chickpea cultivar Sanford this level of infection was sufficient to reduce root mass, but for the cultivar Tyson, more than half of the root was covered with lesions before root mass began to decline. In a comparison of seed treatment fungicides, thiram + carbathiin (Vitaflo 280) and carbathiin + thiab...

Effects of soil temperature, seeding depth, and seeding date on rhizoctonia seedling blight and root rot of chickpea

Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn, a prevalent fungal pathogen in cultivated prairie soils, can be an important factor affecting seedling establishment of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). Studies were undertaken to determine the impact of different soil conditions on seedling establishment, development of root rot, and productivity of desi (Tyson) and kabuli (Sanford) chickpea plants sown in the presence of R. solani AG-4. The impact of soil and air temperatures and seeding depth was studied under controlled conditions, and the influence of seeding date was investigated at three field sites. The host responded to warm soils by increasing its growth rate, and the pathogen by increasing its virulence. The kabuli cultivar, Sanford, showed greater susceptibility to root rot caused by R. solani than the desi cultivar, Tyson. Root rot and shoot infection levels increased with soil temperature for both cultivars, but reached maximum values at substantially lower temperatures for Sanford. Shoot biomass of infected treatments...

Management strategies to reduce losses caused by rhizoctonia seedling blight of field pea

Seedling blight can cause substantial reductions in stand density of field pea on the Canadian prairies. Ninety-four isolates of Rhizoctonia solani were obtained from soil samples collected from 37 pea fields in 1999 in Alberta, Canada. Sixty isolates were characterized as anastomosis group (AG)-4 and 12 isolates as AG-2-1. Some of these isolates caused severe pre-emergence damping-off and were classified as highly pathogenic; 41 of the 44 highly pathogenic isolates were AG-4 and three were AG-2-1. Two highly pathogenic AG-4 isolates were used to assess the effect of inoculum density on survival and growth of field pea seedlings, and the impact of seeding date, seeding depth, soil temperature, seed damage, seed treatments and seeding density on seedling blight and root rot injury. As inoculum density increased, so did root rot severity, while seedling establishment, shoot dry weight and root dry weight declined. Under controlled conditions, seedling establishment in the noninoculated control increased as ...

Effect of seed damage and metalaxyl seed treatment on pythium seedling blight and seed yield of field pea

When cool, wet conditions persist after planting, Pythium spp. can be an important constraint to stand establishment in field pea. Laboratory studies and field trials were conducted over 3 yr to assess the impact and evaluate the interactions of Pythium spp., metalaxyl seed treatment and damage to seed on seedling establishment, root rot severity and seed yield of field pea. Seedling emergence, seedling size, and seed yield were reduced by inoculation with Pythium spp. and by mechanical damage to the seed. Fungicide seed treatment reduced the impact of seed damage, but did not always restore seedling emergence and seed yield to the same level as from undamaged seed. Undamaged seed treated with metalaxyl was not affected by inoculation with Pythium spp. Differences among cultivars, although often significant, were small relative to the effect of seed injury. Laboratory studies showed a negative linear relationship between inoculum concentration and emergence from untreated seed. They also showed that Pythi...

Impact of seeding rate and depth on mycosphaerella blight and seed yield of field pea

Mycosphaerella blight (Mycosphaerella pinodes) occurs throughout western Canada and can severely reduce field pea (Pisum sativum) seed yield. Field trials were conducted at two sites (Edmonton, AB, and Morden, MB) from 2001 to 2003 to assess the impact of seeding rate and seeding depth on blight severity. Mycosphaerella blight severity in the canopy was greater at higher seeding rates; treatments seeded at 30 plants m-2 had lower levels of disease than those seeded at more than 100 seeds m-2. However, yield potential was reduced at low seeding densities. Depth of seeding did not affect seedling density, disease severity, yield or final seed weight. In addition, field trials were conducted at Edmonton to quantify yield losses associated with mycosphaerella blight in Alberta. In trials inoculated with M. pinodes, application of a foliar fungicide (chlorothalonil) increased yield by about 20% over the unprotected control. Key words: Pisum, Mycosphaerella, fungicide, crop management, yield loss

Assessing resistance to spring black stem and leaf spot of alfalfa caused by Phoma spp.

The disease reaction of alfalfa (Medicago sativa) cultivars to spring black stem was evaluated in field trials and greenhouse experiments. In field trials, differences in cultivar reaction to leaf spot (predominantly spring black stem) were observed in 9 of 16 station years. The reaction of certain cultivars was consistent across most trials, but other cultivars were quite variable. Under controlled conditions, one isolate each of Phoma sclerotioides and P. exigua produced symptoms on alfalfa leaves that were similar to those caused by P. medicaginis. These results indicate that P. medicaginis is not the only pathogen responsible for symptoms of spring black stem on alfalfa in the prairie region. In a detached-leaf study, one isolate each of P. medicaginis, P. sclerotioides and P. exigua produced leaf lesions on all 18 alfalfa cultivars assessed. Disease incidence in Absolute, Algonquin, Pickseed 3006 and Anik (M. sativa subsp. falcata) was lower than in 630 and AC Blue J. Inoculation of eight selected cu...

Blackleg (Leptosphaeria maculans) Severity and Yield Loss in Canola in Alberta, Canada.

Blackleg, caused by Leptosphaeria maculans, is an important disease of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) in Canada and throughout the world. Severe epidemics of blackleg can result in significant yield losses. Understanding disease-yield relationships is a prerequisite for measuring the agronomic efficacy and economic benefits of control methods. Field experiments were conducted in 2013, 2014, and 2015 to determine the relationship between blackleg disease severity and yield in a susceptible cultivar and in moderately resistant to resistant canola hybrids. Disease severity was lower, and seed yield was 120%–128% greater, in the moderately resistant to resistant hybrids compared with the susceptible cultivar. Regression analysis showed that pod number and seed yield declined linearly as blackleg severity increased. Seed yield per plant decreased by 1.8 g for each unit increase in disease severity, corresponding to a decline in yield of 17.2% for each unit increase in disease severity. Pyraclostrobin fungicide reduced disease severity in all site-years and increased yield. These results show that the reduction of blackleg in canola crops substantially improves yields.

Effects of inoculum density, temperature, seeding depth, seeding date and fungicidal seed treatment on the impact of Rhizoctonia solani on lentil

Rhizoctonia solani causes seedling blight and root rot in lentil, which reduces plant populations and the vigour and yield of surviving plants. Factors in the seedling environment, such as inoculum density, temperature, seeding depth, seeding date, and fungicidal seed treatment were studied to determine the degree to which they affect the impact of R. solani on lentil seedlings. Survival of lentil plants was evaluated after planting into soil artificially inoculated with various concentrations of a highly aggressive isolate of R. solani (AG-4). Emergence, seedling survival and shoot dry matter production decreased with increasing inoculum density, but these declines varied with temperature. Low soil temperatures delayed the emergence of lentil seedlings in non-inoculated soil, but in inoculated soils, emergence was inhibited with increasing temperatures. Depth of seeding did not affect seedling establishment, but root rot severity increased with depth of seeding in a growth cabinet trial. Root nodulation ...