2020 Clubroot Map Now Available

The map of locations in the county where clubroot was found in 2020 is now available to the public, and can be viewed below or downloaded and printed.

Please be aware that if you live in an area that has been tested as negative, or if you yourself have been tested as negative for clubroot, you are NOT guaranteed to be free of clubroot. It is imperative that you continue to practice clubroot protocols in order to restrict its spread.

The presence of clubroot in Alberta has gained increasing amounts of attention after the first case was confirmed in 2003 near Edmonton. Clubroot is a soil-borne disease that affects plants in the Brassicaceae family. This includes plants such as canola, mustard, cabbage, turnips, and radishes. Clubroot is, more specifically, a fungus like protist, therefore it exhibits characteristics of plants, animals, and funguses. The disease causes susceptible plant roots to swell and grow galls on the roots that look like clubs, which leads to premature death of the infected plants. Yield loss can vary from 5%-100% of the crop depending on how extensive the infection is in a given area.

Currently, clubroot cannot be eradicated from a field using economical control measures. The best management practice at this point in time is to thoroughly sanitize equipment when changing fields, plant clubroot resistant varieties, and to enforce adequate crop rotation time. Adequate rotation may be the most important control measure as clubroot is an obligate parasite, and therefore cannot live without a living host. One brassicaceae crop every four years is what is recommended by Alberta Agriculture and Forestry under the Clubroot Management Plan.

Clubroot can survive in the soil for up to 17 years, therefore it is recommended that if clubroot is found on your land, to wait five to seven years before planting canola or another crucifer. This will not eradicate the problem but should at least keep the disease from becoming unmanageable. Scouting, record keeping, and using soil amendments can also help to reduce the effects of clubroot.

If you have any questions on what this entails, or questions about clubroot in Lamont County, please contact the Agricultural Services Department at 780-895-2585. More information on Clubroot and the ASB Clubroot program can be found on the ASB Pest Control Programs page.