In-Season Updates

  • First observations of stripe rust in commercial fields in Alberta

    Dr. Mike Harding, Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, Brooks, AB got a call last night from Dani Kerr, an Agronomy Supervisor at Nutrien,  saying that three of her staff had found stripe rust between Calgary and Drumheller. Stripe rust was reported by Dani Kerr (Nutrien Innovation Manager) as found by three Nutrien Agronomists – Micayla Code…

  • 2025 Cereal Rust Risk Report (June 24-30, 2025)

    The eighth weekly Prairie Crop Disease Monitoring Network (PCDMN) Prairie wind trajectory cereal rust risk report for 2025 is available for download now at the following link: June 24-30, 2025. Crop development and weather Pacific Northwest Montana Kansas-Nebraska corridor

  • Scouting and risk assessment recommendations for cereal leaf spot diseases

    2025 moisture conditions in many Prairie regions were dry in late May and early to mid June. However, recent rainfall in some regions over the last 1-2 weeks increases the risk of development of leaf spot diseases in barley and wheat. Although crop rotation and variety resistance are useful strategies, rotations typically need to be…

  • PCDMN Soil Moisture Maps: Risk of stem rot sclerotial germination, July 2, 2025

    June and early July are important months in terms of field crop disease development.  For diseases such as sclerotinia stem rot of canola and ergot of small grain cereals, suitable pathogen development must occur to produce spores before host infection can take place.  The pathogens associated with both diseases overwinter as resting bodies known as sclerotia,…

  • Weekly Lentil Anthracnose Risk (June 30, 2025)

    Welcome to the third weekly lentil anthracnose disease risk map, hosted by the Prairie Crop Disease Monitoring Network on behalf of Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. This map provides a weekly forecasted risk assessment of lentil anthracnose across Saskatchewan, based on recent historical weather data and short-term weather forecasts. It aims to help identify areas of higher…

  • 2025 Cereal Rust Risk Report (June 17-23, 2025)

    The seventh weekly Prairie Crop Disease Monitoring Network (PCDMN) Prairie wind trajectory cereal rust risk report for 2025 is available for download now at the following link: June 17-23, 2025. General weather and crop conditions Pacific Northwest and Montana Kansas/Nebraska

  • Powdery mildew of wheat observed in several central Alberta fields, June 25, 2025

    On June 25, 2025, Carol Holt, Brayden Lubach, and Taryn Kanngiesser with Crop Doc Services Ltd. contacted the PCDMN to report multiple fields with powdery mildew in the central region of Alberta. They indicated symptoms were found up into the mid canopy of spring wheat fields of various varieties, with typical fungal growth and sporulation…

  • Stripe rust alert for southern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan, June 24, 2025: Symptoms observed in Montana on winter wheat

    Although we are currently working on the next weekly PCDMN cereal rust risk report, a recent stripe rust update (June 20th) from Drs. L. Hebb and U. McKelvy, Montana State University (MSU) has potential implications for Prairie wheat (spring and winter) producers (Cereal Disease Laboratory, Reports on the current cereal rust situation in the U.S.,…

  • Weekly Lentil Anthracnose Risk (June 23, 2025)

    Welcome to the second weekly lentil anthracnose disease risk map, hosted by the Prairie Crop Disease Monitoring Network on behalf of Saskatchewan Pulse Growers. This map provides a weekly forecasted risk assessment of lentil anthracnose across Saskatchewan, based on recent historical weather data and short-term weather forecasts. It aims to help identify areas of higher…

  • 2025 Cereal Rust Risk Report (June 10-16, 2025)

    The sixth weekly Prairie Crop Disease Monitoring Network (PCDMN) Prairie wind trajectory cereal rust risk report for 2025 is available for download now at the following link: June 10-16, 2025. General weather and crop conditions Pacific Northwest Texas/Oklahoma Kansas/Nebraska