August 2021 called turning point for crop protection regulation

Nov 14, 2023

Aug. 4, 2021, was a significant day for farmers and people who work in the crop protection industry.

On that day, the federal ministers of health, agriculture and environment came together for a news conference — about seven weeks before the federal election.

They announced a “pause” on proposed increases for maximum residue limits (MRLs) for pesticides. The pause was necessary, they said, because the government was revamping the pesticide review process and creating a scientific panel to make it more “transparent.”

The Aug. 4 announcement was likely in response to a controversial decision by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency.

In May of 2021, the PMRA proposed increases to glyphosate MRLs on a variety of pulses and other products such as barley bran, wheat germ and rolled oats.

The proposal was connected to an application by Bayer CropScience to have Canada’s MRLs aligned with CODEX MRLs, stemming from a 2019 joint recommendation from the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization.

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Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.