Insect problems often come in cycles, waves, and even by stiff breezes. Knowing which pests are carried in, purposefully march in, or overwinter is key to determining when in the year to begin scouting and where to look. From sticky traps to sweep nets, the insect population in any crop is staggering. But not all… Read More
Category: Cereal leaf beetle
Pop quiz: do dry conditions automatically mean a dialling back of nitrogen rates on corn? This is a tricky question to answer as very dry conditions for prolonged periods can impact yield potential, but dry conditions also mean nitrogen is less available to the plant, so it’s a tough call. For the answer to why… Read More
The Pest Management Regulatory Agency’s decision to restrict the use of lambda-cyhalothrin products for the 2023 growing season could have a significant impact on how growers manage corn, soybean and cereal crops this season. Lambda-cyhalothrin, the active ingredient in some the most commonly used insecticides growers use to control yield-robbing pests such as soybean aphids… Read More
Wheat in Ontario is in grain fill, and that means scouting for cereal leaf beetle. There’s also been plenty of rain in certain parched parts of the west, but it’s too much and way too late to save the crop. In this week’s edition of Wheat Pete’s Word, host Peter Johnson discusses some insect alerts,… Read More
Every field is an ecosystem — complete with hosts, habitat, pests, and predators. Farmers are focused on fostering the best conditions for the desired crop and are keenly aware of threats, such as insect pests. But, as with any ecosystem, the removal of any one part of the system has dramatic impacts on others. In… Read More
What a difference a week makes! While there are still areas struggling to get acres in, many parts of Ontario got enough of a dry window to jam thousands of acres in. The west continues to struggle with a lack of rainfall, though some areas in Alberta got snow. Yes, snow. In this week’s Wheat… Read More
The cereal leaf beetle is a relatively new pest of cereals in Alberta, first spotted in 2005. And, if you are Dr. Haley Catton, research scientist in cereal crop entomology with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, you’ll describe these creatures as a “beautiful, small, jewel-like beetle.” Those doing the scouting might not be so enamoured by… Read More
If everything goes south from here on in, we can blame Peter Johnson, host of the weekly Wheat Pete’s Word, as he proclaims this week that things are “looking pretty good out there.” In this week’s edition, Johnson tackles current crop conditions, the fallout from super fast crop advancement, weed control in 6-leaf corn (and… Read More