Swede midge larvae and symptoms were spotted in much of northeastern Saskatchewan this summer, concerning producers and agronomists alike. This isn’t the first time there has been concern over their movement, however. Three adult midge were found in Saskatchewan in 2007, only seven years after first being identified in Ontario, where their spread has been hasty and destructive.
There are still more questions than answers for western Canada. Ideal control measures and timing, developmental models, canola varietal susceptibility and economic thresholds will all need to be researched further before many recommendations can be made.
What can producers do in the meantime?
In this Canola School, Julie Soroka, research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, describes the importance of knowlege, addressing: the biology of the swede midge, host symptoms to expect in canola and management strategies you can employ now to reduce the potential for yield loss later.
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