Pass the peachy strawberries and purple lettuce, would you? If you asked me a couple of weeks ago, what light meant to plants, I would say simply, "life." But, after my discussion with Kevin Folta, associate professor at the University of Florida, light has become as fascinating as the very plants that depend on it.... Read More
Category: Crops
Federal agriculture minister Gerry Ritz was on hand at Agri-Trade at Red Deer, Alta., today to announce over $25 million in funding support for the the National Wheat Improvement Project (NWIP). The Government of Canada, along with the Alberta Wheat Commission (AWC), Western Grains Research Foundation (WGRF) and the Canadian Field Crop Research Alliance (CFCRA)... Read More
A broad-spectrum, multi-mode of action tank-mix is one way to manage herbicide resistance. BASF Canada and Monsanto Canada have teamed up to recommend tank-mixing Roundup Transorb HC or Roundup Ultra2 herbicide with Heat or Distinct herbicide. The companies have sweetened the deal by offering a $0.50 per acre discount when farmers purchase either of the... Read More
Ah, Artemesia absinthium. If you've ever had the misfortune of being acquainted with absinth wormwood, you'll likely never forget it. Many describe the plant by its appearance and odor, both likened to pasture sage. Absinth's odor is strong, however, and in my experience, the pollen profoundly irritates the respiratory system. In fact, you can quite... Read More
It seems whenever a new disease or pest rears its head, the old wives tales and myths follow closely on its heels. Take, for example, the advent of clubroot being found in Alberta about 10 years ago. Never fear, said many in the more eastern parts of the prairies, our high pH western Canadian soils... Read More
Can you spot a chemically damaged wheat seedling from a healthy one? Unlike some other damage or infection, chemically damaged cereal seedlings don't always look that bad off in the very early stages. In fact, seedlings can even put out a mostly healthy shoot, but upon further investigation the trained eye will notice that the... Read More
If Canada thistle is a headache in an annual cropping system, it's a migraine in perennial crops, where control strategies tend to be expensive and rumours about what works and what doesn't spread as quickly as the weed itself. Canada thistle is not only a prolific seed producer, it also proliferates through its creeping root... Read More
I'm likely one of the few women who are positively giddy for November. Because November is Movember and I'm a huge fan of fantastic iterations of facial hair. The whole awareness campaign behind Movember is just icing on the cake (moustache?). I've encouraged the boy half of RealAgriculture.com to participate, but he hasn't agreed. Could... Read More
It's that time of year again, when a student's thoughts turn to looking fashionable while still staying warm (hahahahaha, as if) and, more importantly, the students from the University of Guelph's Crop 4240 class launch their weed identification and control videos. This is the second year that instructor Francois Tardif and lab lead Mike Cowbrough... Read More
Canola seedlings faces a host of enemies before they even see the light of day — seeds can get bashed around in the air seeder, plowed down too deep, hit by root rots or burned by seed-placed fertilizer. There are ways and means of minimizing the impact of each of these threats to your eventual... Read More