Delayed arrival of southerly winds in 2013, together with the colder start to the growing season, may lessen the risks associated with aster leafhoppers, the insect (shown) that carries aster yellows phytoplasma. However, given that we're still learning about this disease, it will be difficult to predict disease levels at this stage of the season…
Insects
-
-
Give the brand new online Canola Diagnostic Tool a pre-season test drive at www.canoladiagnostictool.ca. Start with a problem scenario that you encountered in a canola field in 2012, and work through the tool to see what potential causes it provides. Read the cause descriptions and “ways to confirm” to determine which cause is most likely…
-
-
Insect economic thresholds represent the break even point for an insecticide spray. Sticking to thresholds will also help preserve a vibrant and economically valuable population of beneficial insects that can naturally keep pest insect populations in the check. This article provides thresholds for all major canola insect pests…
-
-
Growers who do not have the time for timely scouting may want to hire an agronomist to support their own scouting program. Most agronomists are also pressed for time, and may not be able to spend one to 2 hours a week scouting each canola field, but agronomists can supplement the time growers spend scouting, and provide experience and skills…
-
We don’t exactly know why insects were more plentiful this year, but a mild winter and more canola than ever are likely factors. Achieving a plant stand in the range of 7 to 14 plants per square foot provides a buffer for some plant loss to insects. Scouting and spraying when populations exceed economic thresholds will increase the return on…
-
Many canola crops are maturing earlier than expected this year, in many cases due to hot weather. This has put some growers in a bind. They had sprayed insecticide expecting to be outside the pre-harvest interval (PHI) required between application and the planned cutting date, but now as the crop approaches swathing timing they realize that not enough time has…
-
Growers who are using Lorsban or the generics Citadel, Pyrinex and Nufos to control insects are advised to observe the pre-harvest Interval (PHI) for this product. The PHI for this product is a minimum of 21 days before direct combining or 21 days before swathing. Our canola industry relies on exports and countries that we export to have strict regulations…