By James Bush, AAg, M.Sc., Manager, Crop Protection Lab, Regina
The next time you don’t know what you’re looking at in the field, let the provincial Crop Protection Lab lend a hand. The Lab is open year-round to diagnose problems and recommend solutions using up-to-date technology and expertise.
space where samples are processed.
The lab is a technical laboratory assisting producers and agrologists to make informed decisions about managing risk in agricultural production. The lab does this by offering plant health diagnostic services, insect and plant identifications, as well as herbicide resistance testing for clients. They also assist producers in a more general perspective by assisting with crop pest and disease survey work in Saskatchewan.
During the growing season the Crop Protection Lab is busy diagnosing plant disease, as well as identifying insect and plant samples submitted by producers or their agronomists. On average, the lab processes 160 plant disease samples per year. They also assist the Ministry of Environment in diagnosing Dutch Elm Disease. On average, 300 Dutch Elm Disease samples are processed per year and reports the results to the Ministry of Environment and the sample submitter. By comparison, insect and plant identifications done at the lab are less frequent, usually less than 10 or eight per year, respectively. Diagnostics are led by the lab manager with technical support from plant health technologists and expertise from provincial specialists in the areas of plant disease, entomology or weed control.
Following the growing season, work transitions from a focus on client-submitted samples to assisting provincial specialists with pest and disease survey work. For pest surveys, the lab assists with the club root disease survey, quantifying the amount of the causal pathogen, Plasmodiophora brassicae, DNA in the soil. This is usually around 150 samples per year. At the same time, the lab also assists by providing technical assistance to the fusarium head blight survey, which is about 150 samples per year.
During the winter months, work shifts to diagnostics that can be done out of season. The lab is equipped with a phytotron and single nozzle spray cabinet, so this is when screening for herbicide resistance is done. The lab assesses client-submitted weed populations for resistance for most herbicide groups. However, cases of novel resistance are forwarded to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for testing. Weed seeds are collected by clients in the fall and the lab grows these plants to the proper stage, then sprays them with the herbicides requested, scores the results, and then assesses the herbicide resistance level within the population. At the lab, herbicide resistance testing is becoming more-and-more popular annually.
For more information on the lab and sample submission, visit the Crop Protection Lab page.