Prevention is the best way to manage blackleg disease in canola.
A high risk situation occurs when rotations are shortened to less than one in four years of canola, or where surrounding paddocks have residues of similar age present. Yield losses from blackleg will be severe when a susceptible variety with a canker resistance ranking of 4 or less is sown into these situations. Introduction Blackleg, caused by the fungus Leptosphaeria maculans , is the most serious disease of canola in Western Australia. Each property has its own unique environment that influences how the disease will develop within the crop. Seasonal conditions, as with any crop disease, have a major influence on the level of disease that will occur.