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The Northern Agricultural Research Center consists of 3,000 acres at the main facility with an additional 3,960 acres of grazing land located in the nearby Bear Paw Mountains. The 3,000 acres on the main facility supports both crop and livestock research activities which is distinctly unique to MSU. The research center has recently completed $2.8 million of construction and renovation, including a new $2.1 million office/laboratory complex. In the spring of 2014, two center pivots suitable for research were installed.  A modern research scale greenhouse was funded and designed with construction to be completed in the near future. The research center, when fully staffed, consists of three faculty, two operations managers, research scientist, master's level technician, and 12 permanent support personnel.  A local advisory board made up of area producers and industry representatives from the five surrounding counties, provides guidance on NARC research priorities.

February 13, 2024: Grasshopper Management in Ft Benton

Watch for Anthracnose in lentils this coming season

Anthracnose, a lentil disease caused by the pathogen Colletotrichum truncatum, has been detected in 16% of lentil seed lots tested in the Regional Pulse Crop Diagnostic Lab this winter. While levels of this seed-transmitted pathogen are low, the widespread presence of the pathogen in seed lots indicates that growers should be vigilant in monitoring their lentils this growing season, particularly if environmental conditions are favorable for the development of Anthracnose. Favorable conditions include abundant rainfall during bloom and pod development and a dense canopy. Symptoms include light-brown lesions with a dark border and initiate low, at the base of the plant, and spread upward. Serious infections could result in patches of dead plants.

Anthracnose on lentils causes tan lesions on stems, often with black borders, that can indent the stem. Defoliation and girdling can cause plants to wilt and lodge. Photo credit: Michael Wunsch, North Dakota State University.

Please consult the Regional Pulse Crop Diagnostic Lab website for more information on Anthracnose and other seed-borne diseases of pulse crops.

This AgAlert was written by Carmen Murphy, Postdoctoral Researcher at Montana State University (carmenmurphy@montana.edu). 

The alert was sent by Uta McKelvy, Extension Plant Pathologist (uta.mckelvy@montana.edu).

NARC Mission

To conduct and promote studies, scientific investigations and experiments relating to agriculture, natural resources and rural life and to disseminate this information to the people of Montana.

  

NARC Virtual Field Day 2020

Statewide Virtual Field Day 2020