QUIZ – This Week in Agronomy

Jay Whetter

Three questions on agronomy topics for the week, including fungicide spraying for blackleg, sclerotinia apothecia formation and grasshopper features.

Blackleg lesion on canola cotyledon. Photo credit: Kendra Glassier
1. Foliar fungicide is the only blackleg management option available after seeding. Crop rotation, genetic resistance and blackleg-specific seed treatments are usually enough to protect canola from blackleg. For fungicide to provide an economic level of protection, cultivars need to be susceptible to the races in a field and fungicide needs to go on at this crop stage:
2. The sclerotinia stem rot infection cycle depends on the presence of apothecia and their spore release while canola is flowering. Apothecia formation require prolonged moist soil conditions – at least __ days above the wilting point – and moderate temperatures of 15°C to 25°C. (Fill in the blank)
Apothecia - the tiny mushrooms that release sclerotinia spores.

Apothecia - the tiny mushrooms that release sclerotinia spores. Photo credit: Keith Gabert

3. We have a lot of grasshoppers on the Prairies and most species are not crop pests. Which feature, from the list below, is found on all pests species (and not many non-pest species)?