By Nigel Maxwell

Saskatchewan researcher hopes to slow down pulse crop killer

Jan 21, 2019 | 2:00 PM

A Saskatchewan research scientist believes she has found a way to help slow down a well know pulse crop killer.

Dr. Michelle Hubbard, who works at Agriculture Canada’s Swift Current research centre, has been studying the benefits of intercropping. Intercropping is the practice of growing two or more crops together in the same place, at the same time.

In her research, Hubbard grew chick peas and flax together and learned the combination sped up chick pea maturation and a reduction damage from diseases including Ascochyta Blight. 

“Chick peas have another limitation in that if there’s no drought to induce stress at the end of the season, chick peas just won’t ripen and continues to grow indeterminately but flax might be able to induce that drought and then reduce green seed and make it easier to harvest chick peas,” she said.

As it stands, the primary management plan for controlling pulse diseases is the use of fungicides. Hubbard said this approach can get very expensive for producers and also has the potential of being effective if a resistance develops in the fungus. Through Hubbard’s research she has tested the resilience of the fungus at a molecular level.

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“Every single sample I’ve tested from the 20178 growing season, I found resistance to strobilurin and fungicides so that just highlights the need to have other option to manage Ascochyta Blight,” she said.

Hubbard hopes her research will be able to expand the area capable of growing chick peas in the province. When asked if she thought there could be other combinations, Hubbard said she thought the combination of peas and canola could also have potential.

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell