What you should know about clubroot in Alberta: a guide for land owners and oil and gas operators: Limnos Environmental Ltd.

January 14, 2013

Clubroot is a serious soil-borne crop disease caused by Plasmidiophora brassicae. Important crops such as canola, mustard and cole crops are susceptible; and because the disease is soil borne it is difficult to control once it has been established in a field. Clubroot affects the root system of plants, manifesting as roots having a club-like appearance. Affected plants can be wilted, stunted, and yellowed, and may undergo premature ripening leading to lower quality and reduced yields.

Clubroot is not distributed equally throughout Alberta. Surveillance has been undertaken in Alberta since 2003, and a map detailing cumulative clubroot infestations can be found here. Detection of clubroot in Alberta is a relatively recent occurrence, with the first detection being in 2003 near Edmonton.

According to Swedish research, clubroot can persist in the soil for up to 20 years, so the best management practice is to prevent the spread of soil from one field to another. Proper sanitation requires 3 steps:

1.      Rough cleaning: Manual removal of soil using a hand scraper, wire brush or compressed air. This should remove 90% of the soil on the equipment.

2.      Fine cleaning:  Removal of remaining soil from pressure washing at 2000-3000 psi. A detergent may be used to help remove the soil. Steps 1 and 2 should remove 99% of the soil on the equipment.

3.      Disinfection: Disinfect the equipment using a 1-2% bleach solution. It is recommended that a herbicide sprayer is used. Disinfected areas should remain wet for approximately 20 minutes to ensure efficacy.

It is important for each stakeholder (i.e., landowner, oil and gas operator, oil and gas service provider) to assess the clubroot risk based on the area of the province and the type of work to be completed. It is important that best practices are developed and followed based on the exposure risk. Third party inspection of equipment is often recommended to ensure documentation of sanitation procedures and results. Limnos Environmental Ltd. has experience in developing clubroot management plans, and conducting inspections of equipment, including professional sign off (P.Ag.).