Prolonged cool weather in spring delayed the onset of wheat diseases during the 2019 growing season. This University of Nebraska Extension article summarizes strategies that can be used this fall to minimize losses during next year’s growing season.

Manitoba Agriculture is reporting a new strain of clubroot of canola (Plasmodiophora brassicae), having been positively identified in the rural municipality of Pembina, says the Canola Council of Canada.

One plant disease to keep a lookout for when harvesting grains and grasses for animal and human consumption is ergot, which generates toxic alkaloids that could potentially create problems with livestock feeding and when trying to market a small grain crop. The Crop Protection Network shares some of the commonly asked questions pertaining to ergot.

Problems caused by unfavorable conditions this season have resulted in greater than normal weed escapes. While there are no simple answers, in most situations, late-season herbicide applications will not likely be effective and are not warranted, according to Iowa State University.

Beginning in 2020, Germany will begin phasing out the use of the controversial herbicide glyphosate and completely ban it from 2023 as part of measures rolled out by the country’s environment ministry to protect insects.

The sugarcane aphid (SCA) has now been reported in several counties in Kansas and grain sorghum producers should begin scouting their fields on a routine basis, says Kansas State University Extension.

The board of directors of the Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) issued a statement supporting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) science-based approach to evaluating glyphosate — a herbicide that has been the focus of recent lawsuits by those concerned that it may be carcinogenic.

Water quality is a frequently overlooked factor that can adversely affect the performance of pesticides, especially herbicides. Besides pH, water “hardness” is a key concern, with much of the agricultural water sources across the U.S.