"Results from the first year of on-farm trials in southern Manitoba suggest that harvest management may not significantly affect disease levels. "From our first year of trial... straight versus swathing didn't seem to have an impact on the disease," says Chawla, cautioning that more data across additional regions is needed before drawing firm conclusions. Early-season fungicide applications also did not reduce verticillium load in these trials, and yield declines were observed across varieties, though severity varied."
"Longer term, Chawla's program is focused on identifying genetic resistance. Researchers are screening hundreds of varieties grown at naturally infected Manitoba sites and using qPCR testing on thousands of stubble samples to determine resistance levels. Genetic resistance, he says, remains the most promising solution: "For farmers, genetic resistance offers the best solution to verticillium... if you care about the environment, it's not good to use fungicides.""
Research at the University of Manitoba is examining verticillium stripe behavior and management in Prairie canola through on-farm trials in partnership with Manitoba Canola Growers. Trials evaluated harvest methods such as straight cutting versus swathing, seasonal disease progression, and early-season fungicide effects. First-year results in southern Manitoba showed no clear impact of harvest management and no reduction in verticillium load from early fungicide applications, while yield declines occurred across varieties with varying severity. Products effective for blackleg are not assumed effective against verticillium. Large-scale screening and qPCR testing of stubble target genetic resistance as the most promising long-term solution.
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