Grasshoppers devastated many fields last year over large parts of the Prairies. Of the over 80 species of grasshoppers found on the Prairies, only four are pests — but in sufficient numbers they are a huge concern. After several years of building populations, the pest is still likely to be an issue this year but… Read More
Category: Flea Beetles
The premise behind why a good healthy plant stand is important when battling flea beetles in canola is simple: the fewer beetles per plant, the less likely they’re going to damage more than 25 per cent of the total leaf area. In dry conditions, too much seed-placed fertilizer can hurt that plant stand and help… Read More
One of the most commonly-used tools for fighting insect pests will be missing from the toolbox in many situations on Canadian farms again in 2024. There’s been no change to the label for products that contain lambda-cyhalothrin, such as Matador and Silencer, heading into the 2024 growing season, says Ian Epp, agronomy specialist with the… Read More
Canola is an elastic, amazingly resilient plant, but it starts as a very tiny seed and emerges under threat of certain death by very hungry flea beetles. Setting up this crop for great yield is the typical combination of establishment, nutrition, and crop protection, but in this episode of The Agronomists, we dig in to… Read More
Early season pest pressure can be a huge drag on canola seedling survivability and producers’ pocket books. A seed treatment can be a useful tool in protecting tiny plants, and BASF is launching new treatment treatment stack options in the 2024 Invigor line up. Farmers growing InVigor hybrid canola likely noticed the shift in ’23… Read More
Advancements in RNA interference (RNAi) technology could soon unlock new tools for managing canola pests and pathogens, such as sclerotinia and flea beetles. RNAi — ribonucleic acid interference — involves targeting specific RNA sequences in a disease or pest, rather than targeting entire proteins or enzymes, as is the case with current pesticides. It’s a… Read More
Once the canola crop has emerged, keep eyes peeled for pesky early insects. Across Western Canada, the top two insects of concern tend to be cutworms and — you guessed it — flea beetles. Anique Josuttes of BASF says even though we say it year after year, the number one tool you can use is… Read More
When talking about flea beetles and flea beetle pressure, it’s really all a numbers game. How can we get the least amount of insects across a wide range of plants? The key, says Jack Payne of South Country Co-op, is uniform seeding and emergence. Getting canola crop off to a quick and even start will… Read More
As another season growing season approaches, farmers are once again planning for flea beetle control. This year planning comes with an additional question of what tools are left in the toolshed after re-labeling of lambda-cy insecticide products may limit use in 2023. One of the alternative products available is Pounce, an FMC insecticide. Prior to… Read More
Canola has the toughest start of any crop in Western Canada, if only because it’s the preferred food of striped and crucifer flea beetles that lie in wait for the first sign of green each spring. Flea beetle pressure has become so heavy that seed treatments and a foliar spray can, at times, not be… Read More