Clubroot and soybean cyst nematode are soil borne pests that can have devastating effects on their respective host crops. Currently, there are no economical control measures available to remove the clubroot pathogen Plasmodiophora brassicae, or the parasite soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines) from a field once it has been infected.
Early and effective management strategies are key to dealing with any pests, let alone ones that are difficult to control and remove. Therefore, testing is of the utmost importance with these pests; if you know you have it, you can implement effective management strategies to deal with it.
Those of us in the Prairie provinces are no stranger to clubroot and its devastating effects. Management of clubroot infested fields through minimizing the risk of soil movement, proper sanitization, scouting and record keeping, controlling host weeds and volunteer canola, utilizing clubroot-resistant cultivars, practicing effective crop rotation, and using patch management techniques for infested areas are the most effective methods of controlling this disease.
Testing fields and knowing where the risk of clubroot infestation may occur is essential for good management practices.
What makes the clubroot pathogen so difficult to control is its hearty resting spores. The clubroot pathogen may persist in the soil for up to 20 years once introduced as the resting spores will patiently wait for ideal conditions and the presence of a good host crop before causing disease. Billions of spores can exist in a single gram of soil, and as spore concentration increases so does the risk for disease.
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