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BY ERIN WIESE
HEADOF
THE CLASS
In-fieldaudible
DIVERSITYOF CROP PROTECTION TOOLS IS KEY TOHEALTHY FIELDS
SUSTAINABILITY IS A BROAD TERM.
It is subjective, and can have different con-
notations based on the subject it is used
to describe. In its very simplest form, it is
defined as the ability to be maintained at
a certain rate or level. This concept can be
applied to virtually any aspect of the crop-
ping industry, from economics to genera-
tional transition. Most importantly, it can
be applied to agronomic practices. Most
agronomic decisions made by farmers are
made in an effort to be sustainable—to
maintain crop production at a high level.
Over the past few years, farmers have
been faced with a host of agronomic chal-
lenges, such as clubroot in canola and her-
bicide resistance. These issues have led to
reduced yields and necessitated a change
in farming practices. Consequently, farm-
ers have had to adopt more sustainable
agronomic practices to maintain a high
level of crop production.
In 2003, clubroot was discovered near
St. Albert, and has since become a signif-
icant economic threat across Alberta. An
infestation of 10 to 20 per cent can lead to
yield losses of five to 10 per cent, accord-
ing to Murray Hartman, oilseed specialist
with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.
Since the discovery of clubroot, resistant
canola varieties have been developed that
can greatly reduce the negative effects
of the disease on yield. In areas heavily
affected by clubroot, it is common for
farmers to grow resistant varieties in an
effort to maintain their canola yields and
mitigate the effects of the disease.
Another example of increased focus on
sustainability is the concept of herbi-
cide resistance management. Herbicide
resistance is a global issue. Worldwide,
477 unique cases of herbicide resistance
among 244 species have been document-
ed. A 2014 study by Alberta Agriculture
and Forestry estimated that over half of
all fields in Alberta today contain Group 1
resistant wild oats. This is a result of the
repeated use of the same herbicides with
similar sites of action. Using the same
herbicide for every application was once
common practice for farmers. This was
due in part to the limited number of
products available. However, the most
probable reason the same herbicide was
used was simply that it worked.
It seems counterintuitive to stop using
a product that works well. However, with
the threat of herbicide resistance on the
horizon, it is imperative to realize the im-
plications of repeated use of the same her-
bicide. Adopting an herbicide resistance
management strategy—involving rotating
herbicides and applying multi-mode action
products—is a sustainable practice that
can delay the onset of herbicide resist-
ance. This concept is widely practised by
farmers today and aids sustainable crop
protection management.
The adoption of these practices can be
a challenge for some farmers who may be
reluctant to make changes to agronom-
ic practices when current methods are
working well. However, regarding the
agronomic issues listed here, research
has shown that implementing long-term
management strategies can mitigate the
negative effects of disease, thus preserving
crop yield and productivity.
Changes in agronomic practices don’t
always result from challenges faced by
farmers. They can also arise from innova-
tion and technological development. One
example of this is precision agriculture.
Precision agriculture has developed from
the aspiration to produce more while
employing greater efficiency—essentially
to increase sustainability. It has been prov-
en that precision agricultural techniques
such as variable rate application are profit-
able. Unlike the adoption of new farming
practices that solve agronomic issues,
the adoption of precision agriculture did
not arise from the need to maintain a
high level of crop production. It is simply
another tool that farmers can utilize to
increase crop production and become
more sustainable.
With an increasing global population,
there is a demand for increased produc-
tivity—we will have to produce more
food with the same amount of land. New
agronomic challenges combined with the
demand for more production will lead to
more technological innovations. These
parameters will ultimately generate fur-
ther sustainable farming practices that
will allow farmers to further increase
productivity.
Erin Wiese is the 2017 AdvancingAg
Future Leaders essay winner and a 2017/18
program participant. She works as a crop
production adviser with Crop Production
Services in Westlock.
Winter
2018
Grains
West
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