What is it?
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
- Clubroot facts - Government of Alberta
- pdf AG(11) Clubroot of Canola (95 KB)
- Clubroot Protocol - Lacombe County
Confirmed Clubroot Cases: 2008-2016
