With no new herbicides with a novel mode of action in the marketplace in corn–soybean cropping systems, control of glyphosate-resistant (GR) weeds requires the re-evaluation of existing herbicides. This necessitates a renewed focus on using herbicide tank-mixes and sequential herbicide programs while also striving to minimize the environmental impact of weed management. Preliminary research identified four preplant (PP) herbicides (2,4-D, saflufenacil/dimethenamid-P, linuron, and metribuzin) and one postemergence (POST) herbicide (fomesafen) that provided good but inconsistent control of GR common ragweed when applied alone in soybean. The objectives of this study were to determine the biologically effective rate of metribuzin and evaluate PP followed by POST herbicide programs for control of GR common ragweed in soybean. The aforementioned PP herbicides reduced GR common ragweed density and aboveground biomass by 82%–94% and 55%–89%, respectively. In contrast, a PP herbicide followed by fomesafen applied POST decreased common ragweed densities and aboveground biomass by 97%–99% and 93%–98%, respectively. Metribuzin applied at 824 and 1015 g a.i. ha^-1 controlled GR common ragweed 90% at 4 and 8 wk after application, respectively. This study concludes that GR common ragweed can be controlled with a PP followed by POST herbicide program and metribuzin has potential for control of GR common ragweed in soybean.

Optimizing N fertilizer applications involves maximizing N use efficiency (NUE) while minimizing losses but depends on complex interactions of crop, soil, weather, and management practices. One approach may be to use controlled-release fertilizer that synchronizes N availability with plant demand. A field experiment at two Ontario locations from 2007 to 2009 compared split-applied ammonium nitrate (ANs) to preplant-applied poly-coated urea (PCU) and soluble N at a ratio of 75:25 at five N rates on late-season storage cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata). Maximum yield and profit margins were obtained at an average of 286 and >300 kg N ha^-1, but few differences among sources were observed. Compared with ANs, PCU did not affect plant N content, nor did PCU reduce soil nitrate or NUE, which indicates little differences in risk of environmental N losses between N sources. Dissolution from mesh bags indicated 5%–25% of various PCU formulations remained by harvest but 5%–10% remained by spring, which suggests conservation over the winter, a need to synchronize N release with crop uptake, and partially explains the lack of treatment differences. From agronomic, economic, and environmental perspectives, the tested PCU treatments for cabbage production in a humid, temperate climate were equivalent to the standard practice.

Adjusting the crop load of European pears (Pyrus communis L.) by hand thinning is currently required to ensure marketable size of most cultivars grown in Ontario. The benefits of thinning pears chemically and its effect on fruit quality and fresh-market returns were investigated in a 3-yr study where a series of foliar chemical thinning sprays were applied during the 10-mm fruitlet stage to Bosc and Cold Snap^™ pear trees growing in commercial orchards in the Niagara Peninsula, Ontario. Treatments included an untreated and hand-thinned control and two concentrations each of 6-benzyladenine (6-BA; 75 and 150 mg L^-1), naphthalene acetic acid (10 and 20 mg L^-1), 1-aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid (150 and 300 mg L^-1), and s-abscisic acid (s-ABA; 150 and 300 mg L^-1). Overall, all thinning products reduced crop load at least once in the 3-yr study, although this varied by year and cultivar. Higher concentrations were more effective than lower concentrations. Naphthalene acetic acid (both rates), 150 mg L^-1 of 6-BA, and 300 mg L^-1 of s-ABA were the most consistent at thinning the crop. As the crop load of control trees was not heavy, minimal hand thinning was required and all thinning treatments reduced crop value compared with the untreated trees. There were minimal effects on starch hydrolysis, soluble solids, fruit firmness, and skin colour at harvest.

A modified Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cry1Ac gene was introduced into poplar ‘Shanxin’ (Populus davidiana × Populus bolleana) by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Seventeen cry1Ac transgenic lines were regenerated. The integration and expression of the cry1Ac gene in these transgenic lines were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and reverse-transcription quantitative PCR, respectively. Variable amounts of cry1Ac mRNA accumulated in different transgenic plants. The expression of Cry1Ac toxin protein in transgenic plants was analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the concentration ranged from 0.12 to 21.00 μg g^-1. The concentration of Cry1Ac protein was highly consistent with mRNA amount in each transgenic line. Leaf section bioassays were conducted using the larvae of both gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) and fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea). Those plants, except lines 10 and 11, caused rapid mortality of all gypsy moth and fall webworm larvae with almost no defoliation, while lines 10 and 11, with Cry1Ac protein concentrations of 0.12 and 0.76 μg g^-1, respectively, provided relatively weak insect protection. Results of insect bioassays indicate that Cry1Ac protein expression over 1.3 μg g^-1 consistently produced high insect mortality for both species of moths. The correlation between concentration of Cry1Ac protein and insect mortality is important to understand for managing insect pests with transgenic plants. Transgenic poplars with high insect resistance will be useful tools for managing Lepidoptera pests of these trees.

Impacts of naturally-varying yields on composition and sensory attributes of Ontario Riesling and Cabernet Franc wines were investigated. The sites investigated represented five Vintners Quality Alliance sub-appellations. A grid pattern of sentinel vines was established in each vineyard for data collection. Yields were divided into categories [low, medium, or high (LY, MY, HY)] at harvest (2010, 2011) and replicate wines were made from each. Wines were subjected to sensory sorting tasks to confirm differences between yield categories and sites, and were thereafter subjected to descriptive analysis. All HY vines had higher clusters/vine, berry weights, and Ravaz indices. The HY Cabernet Franc wines had lower colour, anthocyanins, and phenols. Sensory sorting revealed differences amongst wines and descriptive analysis demonstrated several aroma/flavour attributes between yield categories. The HY Riesling wines had less fruit and honey and higher mineral and floral attributes, whereas HY Cabernet Franc wines displayed higher bell pepper, vegetal, and herbaceous characteristics and less fruit attributes. Riesling wines from Lincoln Lakeshore North and Niagara Lakeshore sub-appellations had higher mineral or vegetal attributes, Four Mile Creek had more apple/pear, and St. Davids Bench, Beamsville Bench, and Lincoln Lakeshore South displayed higher fruit and citrus. Escarpment Bench and Four Mile Creek Cabernet Franc 2010 wines had the highest bell pepper aroma, Lincoln Lakeshore North displayed the most earthiness, and Lincoln Lakeshore South had the most cooked fruit. In 2011, cooler sites adjacent to Lake Ontario displayed higher vegetal attributes. Zones of differing yields, dependent upon magnitudes of yield differences, can result in substantially different wine sensory properties.

Improving seed composition and quality, including protein, oil, fatty acid, and amino acid contents, is an important goal of soybean farmers and breeders. The aim of this study was to map the quantitative trait loci (QTL) underlying the contents of protein, oil, fatty acids, and amino acids with 1510 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers using the ‘Hamilton’ × ‘Spencer’ recombinant inbred line population (H × S; n = 93). A total of 13 QTL for the traits studied have been mapped on 3 chromosomes (Chr.) of the soybean genome. Three major QTL have been mapped to a 7–13 cM region on Chr. 6. One major QTL for oil content (qOIL001) explained approximately 76% of the total phenotypic variation in this population; the second major QTL for amino acid alanine (Ala; qALA001) explained approximately 74% of the total variation in Ala content; moreover, two major QTL for palmitic acid (qPAL001 and qPAL002) were identified on Chr. 6 and explained approximately 21% of the phenotypic variation in this population. The SNP markers flanking the QTL identified here will be very useful for soybean breeders to develop and select soybean lines with higher seed composition qualities using marker-assisted selection.

Six field trials were conducted at Ridgetown, ON, over a 2-yr period (2015 and 2016) to determine the tolerance of two corn hybrids to 2,4-D (560 and 1120 g a.i. ha^-1) and glyphosate (1800 g a.e. ha^-1) applied alone or in combination at stage V1, V3, or V5. In DeKalb DKC52-61 corn, 2,4-D caused as much as 24%, 16%, 11%, and 11% visible injury at 1 wk after each postemergence herbicide application (WAT), 2 WAT, 4 wk after the last postemergence herbicide application (WA-C), and 8 WA-C, respectively. Plant stand was not affected, but plant height decreased by 5 cm at 560 g a.i. ha^-1 and 7% at 1120 g a.i. ha^-1. As the application timing was delayed from stage V1 to V5, there was a trend to increased injury at both 2,4-D rates. Corn yield decreased 8% with 2,4-D applied at 560 g a.i. ha^-1 and 12% at 1120 g a.i. ha^-1. In Pioneer P0094AM corn, 2,4-D caused as much as 16%, 9%, 7%, and 7% visible injury at 1 WAT, 2 WAT, 4 WA-C, and 8 WA-C, respectively. Plant height was not affected, but goosenecking and brace root malformation were increased as the rate of 2,4-D was increased. There was generally no difference between glyphosate rates (1800 vs 0 g a.e. ha^-1) at the V1 corn stage but visible injury, goosenecking, and brace root malformation at other application timings was as much as 15%, 3%, and 19% greater when 2,4-D was applied in a tank mixture with glyphosate, respectively. Yield was reduced by 12% when 2,4-D (1120 g a.i. ha^-1) was applied with glyphosate in the tank mixture.

Multi-environment trials are conducted to evaluate the performance of cultivars. In a combined analysis, the mixed model is superior to an analysis of variance for evaluating and comparing cultivars and dealing with an unbalanced data structure. This study seeks to identify the optimal models using the Saskatchewan Variety Performance Group post-registration regional trial data for flax. Yield data were collected for 15 entries in post-registration tests conducted in Saskatchewan from 2007 to 2016 (except 2011) and 16 mixed models with homogeneous or heterogeneous residual errors were compared. A compound symmetry model with heterogeneous residual error (CSR) had the best fit, with a normal distribution of residuals and a mean of zero fitted to the trial data for each year. The compound symmetry model with homogeneous residual error (CS) and a model extending the CSR to higher dimensions (DIAGR) were the next best models in most cases. Five hundred random samples from a two-stage sampling method were produced to determine the optimal models suitable for various environments. The CSR model was superior to other models for 396 out of 500 samples (79.2%). The top three models, CSR, CS, and DIAGR, had higher statistical power and could be used to access the yield stability of the new flax cultivars. Optimal mixed models are recommended for future data analysis of new flax cultivars in regional tests.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the efficacy of a new premix of iodosulfuron (6%)/thiencarbazone (45%) applied alone or tank-mixed with 2,4-D, dicamba, glyphosate, or metribuzin in the fall and (or) early spring followed by preemergence (PRE) and postemergence (POST) herbicide applications for control of glyphosate-resistant giant ragweed and their effect on corn yield. Field experiments were conducted in no-till corn fields infested with glyphosate-resistant giant ragweed (20–30 plants m^-2) near Clay Center and McCool Junction, NE, in 2013 and 2014, respectively. A premix of iodosulfuron/thiencarbazone applied alone or in split applications in the fall and early spring controlled glyphosate-resistant giant ragweed <60% and resulted in a density of 14 giant ragweed plants m^-2, which was comparable to the untreated control at 28 d after early spring treatment (DAEST). Metribuzin or 2,4-D applied alone resulted in <75% giant ragweed control at 28 DAEST; however, 2,4-D or dicamba tank-mixed with iodosulfuron/thiencarbazone provided ≥92% control. Treatments including 2,4-D or dicamba led to 85%–98% reduction in giant ragweed biomass at 28 DAEST. A follow-up application of a premix of isoxaflutole/thiencarbazone tank-mixed with atrazine applied PRE was not effective, although a POST application of tembotrione + atrazine resulted in >91% control at 28 d after postemergence treatment. The premix applied alone did not provide effective control of giant ragweed in corn primarily because lack of residual activity.

Responses to osmotic change are critical for plant survival, development, and reproduction. Hyperosmolality-induced cytosolic free calcium concentration [(Ca²⁺)_i] increase (OSCAs) proteins have been described as osmosensors in plants and animals. To investigate functional roles of OSCA genes (PbrOSCAs) in pear (Pyrus bretschneideri Rehd.), bioinformatics, and expression analyses of the PbrOSCAs were performed. Sixteen PbrOSCA members were identified in the pear genome. PbrOSCA family members were classified into four clades by sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis. Moreover, protein structure analysis indicated that the 16 PbrOSCA members shared similar structures with their homologues in Arabidopsis and rice. Multi-transmembrane patterns and ion transport pore sites of PbrOSCAs were conserved, and expression profiles of PbrOSCA varied among tissues and with osmotic stress conditions. In particular, expression levels of six PbrOSCAs gradually increased with time during osmotic stress, suggesting that PbrOSCAs may play regulatory roles in plant osmotic stress responses.

Selection within elite barley cultivars is assumed to be ineffective due to the belief that inbred cultivars are highly homogeneous. The objective of the present work was to evaluate a selection procedure (Honeycomb design) applied within five barley cultivars (Manel, Rihane, Kounouz, Lemsi, and Imen) and two Tunisian landraces (Ardhaoui and Djebali) under ultra-low plant density (1.2 plants m^-2) towards selecting high-performance lines with resistance to Barley yellow dwarf virus-PAV (BYDV-PAV). Lines selected through this process were further field-evaluated in hill plots under artificial BYDV-PAV inoculation and uninoculated control conditions during the 2016–2017 cropping season. Artificial inoculation in the field caused a severe reduction in agronomic performance traits, with yield loss reaching around 60%. However, two lines (IH16-H1 and IH4-L0) originating from cultivar Imen were significantly superior over the mother variety in the control field, showing at the same time minimum yield loss after BYDV-PAV inoculation not exceeding 10%, similar to the resistant check. Genotyping of the lines for the Ryd2 and Ryd3 resistance genes and assessment of visual symptoms in the field associated with reduction in yield revealed an additive effect of the genes conferring resistance to BYDV-PAV. However, there were lines with genotypic patterns that did not match the patterns of the source material, providing insights for exploitable intra-cultivar diversity within the barley cultivars and landraces assessed.

Daphne (Daphne laureola L.) is a perennial evergreen shrub native to Eurasia and northern Africa. Introduced to North America as an ornamental shrub, the plant has readily absconded gardens and can now be found throughout suitable habitats on both the east and west coasts of the continent. In Canada, daphne has naturalized in southwestern British Columbia including Vancouver, southern Vancouver Island, and the Gulf Islands. Daphne is of particular concern to the endangered Garry oak (Quercus garryana Douglas ex Hook.) because it invades shady woodland areas, forming dense mono-specific stands that can suppress and inhibit native vegetation. The berries and all other parts of the daphne plant contain a mixture of toxic chemicals that can be fatal to humans or animals if ingested. Removal teams suggest using gloves for elimination and handling of daphne because of its corrosive sap and oil. Widespread planting combined with a lack of public knowledge regarding the species’ invasiveness has created great concern over its potential to spread. Various methods of control (chemical, manual, and biological) have been developed. The most commonly applied approach in Canada is manual control, but care must be taken to avoid contact with skin and follow-up monitoring and control is advised. A promising biocontrol agent is the fungus Phomopsis sp. denovo, which has been observed to cause high levels of mortality in D. laureola under both laboratory and field conditions.

Four field experiments were conducted during 2016 and 2017 to evaluate the efficacy of preemergence herbicides to control glyphosate-resistant common ragweed in corn. Dicamba, dicamba/atrazine, mesotrione + atrazine, isoxaflutole + atrazine, saflufenacil/dimethenamid-P, and S-metolachlor/mesotrione/bicyclopyrone/atrazine were the most efficacious herbicides, providing 94%–100% control of GR common ragweed and reducing density and biomass 98%–100%.

New techniques are needed to control quackgrass in organic crops. With ≥2 applications of abrasive air-propelled (800 kPa) corncob grit to 15-cm-tall quackgrass tillers, regrowth was minimal at 5 wk after treatment. Abrasive grits may be effective tools to help manage perennial weeds in organic row crops.

Lowbush blueberry is an important crop in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec. Accurate evaluation of agronomic practices currently requires destructive sampling and loss of productive fields. We showed that the point intercept method is a rapid and reliable nondestructive alternative for predicting biomass and yield of lowbush blueberry and competing species.

The addition of pyraclostrobin, pyraclostrobin/fluxapyroxad, pyraclostrobin/metconazole, trifloxystrobin/propiconazole, azoxystrobin/propiconazole, and trifloxystrobin/prothioconazole fungicides to glyphosate reduced disease incidence up to 19% and disease severity up to 4% compared with glyphosate alone. Fungicides evaluated can be safely mixed with glyphosate for corn production, but fungicide use was not associated with increased corn yield.

CO464 is a short-season corn (Zea mays L.) inbred line with excellent combining ability with Iodent inbred testers as well as intermediate resistance to common rust, eyespot, common smut, and Fusarium stalk rot.

AAC Glenview sainfoin, tested as LRC 4342, was developed by the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Lethbridge Research and Development Centre, Lethbridge, Alberta. This cultivar was derived from parental clones selected for improved forage yield in mixed stands with alfalfa under grazing and regrowth after grazing. When grown under irrigated and rainfed conditions in western Canada, Glenview out yielded Nova (check) by 21% in pure stands over 37 location–years and 19% in mixed stands with alfalfa over 17 location–years. This cultivar flowers and matures about 8 d earlier than Nova and has slightly larger seed than Nova (24.7 g 1000 seeds^-1 vs 20 g 1000 seeds^-1). It can be grown for hay and pasture in pure stands but Glenview is well suited for mixed sainfoin–alfalfa stands. Breeder seed for the cultivar will be produced by AAFC and the multiplication and distribution rights were awarded to Monarch Feeders Ltd., Monarch, AB, Canada.

AAC Oriental 200 is a doubled-haploid line. It was produced via microspore culture from the F₁ hybrid plants resulting from a cross between the oriental mustard cultivars Cutlass and Forge. AAC Oriental 200 has a higher (7%) yield than the check cultivar Cutlass and similar levels of blackleg and white rust resistance. AAC Oriental 200 is well adapted to all mustard growing areas of western Canada.