FAST FACTS
Spores are released after the first autumn rains, which initiate blackleg on canola plants.
South African researchers are running trials to establish which canola cultivars are more resistant to blackleg.
They are also testing various fungicides for efficacy, with the next step being to study timing and optimisation of applications.
While the extent of losses in South Africa is uncertain, canola farmers in Australia generally lose between 10% and 15% of their harvests annually to blackleg, with figures as high as 90% being recorded in some instances. This is according to Dr Gert van Coller, plant pathology scientist at the Western Cape Department
