E-Delivery

PROJECT TITLE Epidemiology of chocolate spot of faba bean PROJECT LEAD Syama Chatterton, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada TOTAL VALUE OF PROJECT $835,600 FUNDING PARTNER Western Grains Research Foundation If Alberta wants to be a globally significant location for faba bean production, we'll need to come to grips with a disease that the world's top producers have struggled with for years. "Chocolate spot is a historical disease of faba bean, and in fact, is the number-one disease of faba bean worldwide," said Syama Chatterton, Lethbridge-based Plant Pathologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. "We haven't seen the same extent of chocolate spot as other countries, but we know that as faba bean acres increase, the disease is likely to increase as well, so it's important to try to get ahead of the curve." There's a wealth of chocolate spot management information developed by market leaders such as Egypt and Australia. As Chatterton sees it, much of this information is of little value to Alberta growers. Climatic conditions are different here and Alberta grows different faba bean varieties than these other jurisdictions. The good news is, within the next few years, we should know much more about how chocolate spot works under Alberta conditions. Chatterton, with funding from Alberta Pulse Growers, recently began a multi-year research project with chocolate spot of faba bean as its focus. FROM GREENHOUSE TO FIELD AND BACK AGAIN In 2017, Chatterton and her team will place greenhouse-grown faba bean in fields as a 'trap plant' to attract chocolate spot. Once plants are infected, they go back to the greenhouse where disease development can be observed in detail. "We will put out plants every three or four days," Chatterton said. "There's a lot of shifting plants in and out of the greenhouse." While some fungicides are registered for faba bean in Western Canada, chocolate spot isn't currently on any label. This project will help build a body of data that could one day support a registration, giving growers a valuable agronomic tool they don't currently have. "The right time to apply a fungicide is when the pathogen is active and the faba beans are susceptible," Chatterton said. "So first, we need to understand the pathogen and when is the most infectious time for it." The study moves into a second phase beginning next year. In 2018 and 2019, Chatterton will perform greenhouse-controlled environmental studies to learn more about the response of chocolate spot to temperature, humidity and leaf wetness. It's all part of a research program producing findings that should help Alberta faba bean growers boost their production in the years to come. "We haven't had big issues yet with chocolate spot, but we know it's coming," said Chatterton. "We are trying to build our knowledge of the environmental conditions associated with chocolate spot and faba bean. Longer term, we can use that knowledge to develop tools that will help growers." Over the next three years, this scientist will study how this disease develops under Alberta conditions. The goal is more effective chocolate spot management. Know Your Enemy: Chocolate Spot (Botrytis fabae) in Faba Bean As faba bean acres expand across the province and becomes a staple in rotations, there is increased need to understand and manage the diseases associated with this crop before they become a threat to yield. 22 | Pulse Research Report GROW YIELD

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