Alberta Crop Diagnostics Day

July 31, 2024

This collaborative field day with Alberta Grains, Alberta Pulse Growers, and Alberta Canola will feature informative sessions and a variety of demonstration plots showcasing pulse, grains, and canola. Included with your AgSmart ticket.

9 am: Welcoming Remarks for Collaborative Field Day at AgSmart

9:15 am: Session 1 – Getting a grip on fusarium head blight timing
Dr. Kelly Turkington, Research Scientist – Plant Pathology, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada
Crop Staging for Fusarium Head Blight management
Discuss management practices for reducing and mitigating fusarium headlight in wheat and barley crops. He will discuss the value of integrated approach and farm management.

CEU Credits: 0.5

11 am: Session 3 – Outpacing Evolution: Staying a Step Ahead with Disease Resistance in Cereal Crops
Dr. Sajid Rehman, Research Scientist, Western Crop Innovations
In Canada, every barley and triticale variety needs an acceptable level of disease resistance to several priority-I diseases in order to be approved for registration. This presentation will discuss: the importance of disease surveillance and studying pathogen population dynamics, how this knowledge is applied to the development of disease-resistant barley and triticale varieties, and the benefits of growing disease-resistant varieties for producers. Participants will have the opportunity to observe diseased plants and learn about some of the identifying characteristics of several priority-I diseases during the session, and about how they can help with surveillance research being conducted by Western Crop Innovations in the Central Alberta zone.

CEU Credits: 0.5

1 pm: Session 5 – Biological Control of Below-Ground Canola Pests Using Entomopathogenic Nematodes
Dayani Withanage (Research Associate OCCI, Olds College) & Dr. Shabeg Briar (Lead Research Scientist Crops, Olds College)
Research Associate Dayani Withanage, currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Alberta, will discuss on the biological control of below-ground canola pests, particularly root maggots, using entomopathogenic nematodes. This session will be part of the Agsmart Collaborative Field Day, held in front of canola plots.
Depending on the pest pressure in the canola plots, there may be infested plants available for a visual demonstration. If infested plants are not present in the Agsmart plots, visual aids such as pictures or posters showing root maggots feeding on canola roots and or samples collected from other infested fields, will be displayed at the Collaborative Field Day tent.

CEU Credits: 0.5

3 pm: Session 7 – Barley for the Future: Breeding Solutions for a Changing Environment
Dr. Yadeta Kabeta, Barley Breeder, Western Crop Innovations
Prepare to explore some of the recent achievements in barley breeding with Western Crop Innovations. Formerly operating as the Field Crop Development Centre, WCI has a rich history developing malting, feed, and forage barley varieties for producers of the Western prairies. This session will discuss the adoption of technologies allowing WCI to bring well-adapted varieties to the market faster, and feature up-and-coming varieties with unique agronomic and quality traits sure to enhance the value of barley for the industry. Participants will have the opportunity to get a close-up look at the most exciting varieties in the breeding pipeline, discuss qualities most important to producers with WCI’s barley breeder, and experience first-hand what sets WCI barley apart from the rest of the market.

CEU Credits: 0.5