Research Objective
To determine the frequency of occurrence and population levels of D. dipsaci in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba pea fields.
Objective 4To confirm the species identification of the stem and bulb nematode in Saskatchewan and Alberta through morphological and molecular techniques.
To determine the frequency of occurrence and population levels of D. dipsaci in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba pea fields; to determine the geographical extent of D. dipsaci distribution in Saskatchewan and Alberta pea fields through screening of grain and soil; to determine the geographical occurrence of the pest in relation to management conditions and environmental factors; to confirm the species identification of the stem and bulb nematode in Saskatchewan and Alberta through morphological and molecular techniques; to determine the race of D. dipsaci in Saskatchewan and Alberta, and confirm if pea is the primary host of the pest.
The results from this study indicate a very low frequency of occurrence of D. dipsaci in export yellow pea grain samples from Western Canada. There is no single region the nematode occurs in, rather, the nematode is distributed over the areas of pea production in Western Canada. There is no obvious rotation crop associated with the occurrence of the nematode. The nematode in yellow pea samples was confirmed to be in the D. dipsaci species group. The best available information indicates Canada Thistle is the source or one of the sources of the nematode in yellow pea export samples. The results failed to provide evidence of the nematode directly on pea.