Agronomy

By Venkata Chapara, Ph.D.

Clubroot disease on canola is caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae, a soil-borne pathogen that moves from field to field on both agricultural and non-agricultural equipment. In simple words, it moves from whatever moves the soil. With an objective to determine the extent of disease spread in North Dakota, clubroot incidence and prevalence has been monitored in annual surveys for six years by examining canola roots for clubs/galls. These surveys have been funded by the Northern Canola Growers Association, Northern Canola Research Program (USDA/NIFA), SBARE and NDCP Product Harmonization Board.

Results indicate that clubroot on canola is so far endemic to Cavalier County since its first identification in North Dakota via visual galls on roots. The highest number of canola fields with clubroot incidence was recorded in 2018 (31% of the canola fields that were surveyed were found with galls on roots) and the lowest (5%) in 2021 (Figure 1).

Read More »

By Luis Del Rio Mendoza, Ph.D.

Through a grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, North Dakota State University (NDSU) worked on improving spring canola varieties and conducted agronomic research on the crop. Nitrogen applications and clubroot management were examined. Read More »

By Kurtis Schroeder, Ph.D.

Crop options are limited in the wheat-dominated dryland areas of the inland Pacific Northwest (PNW) and few rotation crops return a profit similar to winter wheat. However, canola is adapted to the PNW and both spring and winter canola can be grown profitably in the region. Canola adds several benefits in rotation with cereal crops, including reduced plant disease, additional weed control and management options, and in the case of winter canola, increased water infiltration. As a result, a multistate project in Idaho, Washington, Oregon and Montana is being funded by a grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The goals are to develop regionally adapted canola cultivars and advance agronomic practices to optimize canola performance, thereby increasing regional canola acreage.

Read More »

By Mike Stamm

Developing and evaluating high-yielding and regionally adapted winter canola cultivars, improving canola cropping systems, and delivering new technologies and practices to growers are priorities of the project “Development and Management of Canola in the Great Plains Region” supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). It includes researchers in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Nebraska and New Mexico. Read More »

Ever wonder how canola oil stacks up against other edible oils? In honor of National Nutrition Month and March Madness, let’s size up the “competition,” starting with the weak challengers:

Coconut oil: Often erroneously touted for so-called health benefits, this high saturated fat (87%!) contender is solid at room temperature. That’s a good indication of what it will do to your arteries! This is why the U.S. government recommends cooking with liquid vegetable oils like canola in place of solid fats such as coconut oil, butter, shortening or lard. Read More »

By Tom Hance

President Biden comes into office with an immediate focus on managing the COVID-19 pandemic and enacting response and relief measures to mitigate its impacts. Some aspects can be achieved through executive orders, while others – such as providing additional assistance to individuals and hard-hit entities – will require legislative action by Congress, which is an uncertain proposition. Aside from managing the pandemic, Biden’s focus will be on restoring stability (both domestically and with trade and foreign affairs), enacting a major infrastructure initiative (which dovetails into coronavirus response and recovery), and addressing climate change on numerous fronts. What does this mean for agriculture and canola? Read More »