Crop Pests and Diseases

Lacombe County is proud to be a thriving, agricultural community, with more than 1,000 farms within our boundaries. A number of agricultural pests and nuisances exist within Lacombe County. Below is a selection of, pests and nuisances common to agriculture production:

Agricultural Pests: The Agricultural Pests Act requires agricultural pests to be controlled. These pests include animals, birds, insects, plants, and diseases.
Agricultural Nuisances: The Agricultural Pests Act says agricultural nuisances may be controlled. These nuisances include animals, birds, insects, plants, and diseases.
The Pest and Nuisance Control Regulation will provide additional information on control for both pests and nuisances in Alberta.

Clubroot

What is Clubroot?

Clubroot is a serious soil-borne disease of canola, mustard, and other crops in the cabbage family. Cole crop vegetables, for example, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, radish, rutabaga and turnip, are susceptible to clubroot, as are many cruciferous weeds, for example, wild mustard, stinkweed and shepherd's purse.

What does it look like?

As the name of this disease suggests, roots of infected plants may exhibit a club-like appearance; however, overall symptoms will vary depending on the growth stage of the crop when it becomes infected. Infection at the seedling stage can result in wilting, stunting and yellowing symptoms by the late rosette to early podding stage, while premature ripening or death can be observed in canola or mustard plants nearing maturity. Plants infected at later growth stages may not show wilting, stunting or yellowing, but may still ripen prematurely, and seeds may shrivel, thus reducing yield and quality (oil content).

Links & resources

map of clubroot locations

Virulent Blackleg of Canola

Virulent blackleg of canola/rapeseed is a fungal canker or dry rot disease of the actively growing crop that causes stem girdling and lodging. In heavily infested crops, up to 100 per cent of the stems may be infected, resulting in major yield loss.

There are two types of blackleg fungus that infect canola: weakly virulent and virulent. The weakly virulent, or mild type, has always been common in canola fields. The disease appears on leaves and stems in August but does not usually cause significant damage.

Learn more about Blackleg of canola on the Government of Alberta's website.

Lacombe County supports actions to control or eliminate Virulent Blackleg, which is considered a pest under Alberta's Agricultural Pests Act. This is detailed in our Virulent Blackleg of Canola policy.

Fusarium Head Blight

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a fungal disease of cereal crops that affects kernel development. The most important cause of FHB is the fungus Fusarium graminearum, which causes significant losses in grain yield and grain quality, while also resulting in the production of mycotoxins that affect livestock feed, the baking and milling quality of wheat, and the malting and brewing qualities of malt barley.

The Canadian Grain Commission allows very little FHB (expressed as fusarium-damaged kernels, i.e. FDK's) tolerances in top grades. FHB-infected seed often reduces levels of germination and seedling vigour.

Learn more about Fusarium head blight on the Government of Alberta's website.

Pest Surveillance

The Agriculture Department assists both the Provincial and Federal Governments with several pest surveys each year, including Grasshoppers, Blackleg, Clubroot, etc.

Alberta Insect Pest Monitoring Network

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