By Scout Nelson
North Dakota producers will have an opportunity to learn about the latest research on managing Aphanomyces root rot during a field tour on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. The event will focus on practical strategies that help improve field pea and lentil production under disease pressure while allowing participants to observe research plots in real field conditions.
The tour will be led by Michael Wunsch, plant pathologist at the NDSU Carrington Research Extension Center. Participants will visit two on-farm research sites located southwest of Minot. The studies examine how variety selection, planting dates, and fungicide seed treatments affect the performance of field peas, while separate lentil trials focus on variety selection and planting dates under Aphanomyces root rot pressure.
Visitors will walk through research plots and compare crop performance under different management practices. The event will also include a discussion of results from a third research location north of Devil’s Lake, where severe Aphanomyces root rot pressure provides additional information about disease management. Researchers will summarize important findings gathered from this multi-year and multi-location project.
The research plots cover two 6-acre farm studies located 0.5 mile apart in neighboring fields. Although the fields are close together, they have different crop rotation histories and varying levels of disease pressure. Parallel field pea studies are being conducted in both locations using nearly identical planting dates, allowing researchers to compare results under different field conditions.
The project continues to evaluate whether combining proper planting dates, fungicide seed treatments, and carefully selected field pea varieties can successfully reduce the impact of Aphanomyces root rot. Earlier research has shown encouraging results, and this season's studies continue to build on those findings. Results from previous research are available at https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/ag-hub/research-extension-centers-recs/carrington-rec/research/plant-pathology.
The tour begins near Makoti. Participants will travel 10 miles south from the Cenex station on Highway 23, then 3.5 miles west on 29th St SW to reach the research sites. If rain occurs, the program will temporarily move to the Hiddenwood Lake picnic area until weather conditions improve. Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. at the same location.
Photo Credit: istockgetty-images-plus-claraveritas
Categories: North Dakota, Sustainable Agriculture