The first North American case of a disease that has caused serious economic losses in Europe’s rapeseed crop has been found in a canola field in Manitoba.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has confirmed the first known instance of Verticillium longisporum — a verticillium wilt pathogen — on an oilseed plant in North America. The soil-borne fungal disease has previously been found on other brassica plants, such as cauliflower, in the United States.
“We don’t know much about it because it is new to North America, however it is a common disease in northern Europe with their oilseed rapeseed/canola industry,” says Holly Derksen, plant pathologist with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, “There, where it’s a more widespread issue, they’ve seen yield losses of up to 50 percent.”
CLICK HERE to read the full article
Source: RealAgriculture
Posted by Jami Howell
