By Alireza Akhavan, PhD, AAg, Provincial Plant Disease Specialist, and Carter Peru, BSc, PAg, Provincial Integrated Pest Management Specialist, Crops and Irrigation Branch, Regina
June 2024
Verticillium longisporum, a soil-borne pathogen, is the main causal agent of verticillium stripe and can infect canola and other brassica crops. This may pose a significant risk to the yield of Saskatchewan brassica crops, particularly canola. In Europe, yield losses are reported to be 10 - 50%, with an earlier infection causing more yield loss.
Main symptoms of verticillium stripe include stripes up one side of the stem, evident greyish hue discolouration in stem cross-sections, shredding of stem tissue, peeling epidermis (the outer skin of the stem) and, most importantly, if tiny dark pepper-like structures called microsclerotia are observed using a magnifier under peeled back epidermis. Microsclerotia are hard fungal structures that may remain on stem or fall to the soil and can survive in the soil for many years.
V. longisporum was found in Saskatchewan through the 2015 Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) soil survey using DNA testing. During the 2021 general canola disease survey, four suspicious samples from East-central Saskatchewan (near the Manitoba border and further west) were found and confirmed by molecular analysis to be caused by Verticillium sp. However, only one of these isolates was further identified as V. longisporum while the other three were confirmed to be Verticillium dahliae. In 2021, outside of the survey, Saskatchewan also officially reported the first confirmed case of verticillium stripe with typical symptoms and pathogen signs present in two commercial canola fields in the eastern side of the province. Both cases were confirmed to be caused by V. longisporum.
In 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture initiated an after-harvest verticillium-specific survey targeting areas in eastern Saskatchewan close to Manitoba border. This survey assessed the prevalence of the disease in fields in that area. Sixty per cent of fields surveyed were found to have verticillium stripe suspect symptoms. However, molecular analysis confirmed Verticillium sp. (can be any species of the genus Verticillium) in only 28 per cent, and V. longisporum in only 12 per cent of the surveyed fields. Symptoms of verticillium stripe were also confirmed in one additional field located in the southwest region during the regular general canola disease survey from the 205 surveyed fields assessed in 2022. This latter finding underlined the importance of monitoring the disease across the province.
In 2023, the ministry continued to monitor verticillium stripe through the general canola disease survey in 218 fields across Saskatchewan. An expanded after-harvest verticillium-specific survey was also conducted on 103 fields across Saskatchewan to assess the prevalence of the disease more accurately, and to help evaluate the risk this disease may pose to canola production in Saskatchewan. Verticillium longisporum was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 25 fields located in 23 rural municipalities (RMs) through the verticillium stripe monitoring program. In 2023, the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission (SaskCanola) also expanded its free disease testing program for canola producers to include verticillium stripe. This program confirmed the occurrence of the disease in additional 16 RMs bringing the number of RMs with disease to 39 for the 2023 season. All positive fields across the province from either of the two programs were mapped to generate the 2023 V. longisporum distribution map in Saskatchewan Canola Crops. The map shows that most of the confirmed verticillium stripe cases in 2023 were still located in the east side of the province. However, verticillium stripe was also found in other regions including West-central and Southwest and to as far west as RM of Maple Creek close to the Alberta border.
For more information on how to identify and manage verticillium stripe in your field, please visit the Canola Council of Canada’s verticillium stripe webpage.