Why are some plants prematuring, dead or weird?
Plants that mature quicker than the rest of the crop will be especially noticeable pre-swathing, providing the perfect scouting opportunity. Is it clubroot, blackleg, or sclerotinia? Gather as much information as soon as possible: forensic agrology is best done before plants’ death and decay make diagnosis impossible. Address the few issues that are still within your control and keep thorough notes of what might impact a future crop: scouting results should be a key element in planning future rotations, variety choices and management decisions.
Aster yellows continues to appear – often with dramatic, ‘weird and wacky’ symptoms – but has so far remained at low incidence except in small regions in western Saskatchewan. Aster yellows cannot be prevented and there are no effective remedial treatments.
If the issue is not disease, look for abiotic reasons. Volunteer canola can be heavily branched and may have different seed colour than the rest of the crop. (Disease ID tips for pre-harvest scouting)
