Some cutworm species are already quite active — dingy, for example — and can consume canola plants before they even emerge or shortly thereafter. Dingy cutworms will also eat wheat, barley and peas, so scout all crops. Scout bare or clipped patches, digging around in the border areas between missing plants and healthy plants. That’s where the cutworms will be…
Insects
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Early diamondback moth (DBM) eggs are hatching, and some young canola plants could begin showing "window paning" of the leaves. Spraying for DBM at this stage is rarely needed but it has happened. Consider a spray if between 25% and 33% of the plant material is eaten or damaged, and larvae are still present on the plant…
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Aster leafhoppers were spotted in North Dakota, Manitoba and Saskatchewan in significant numbers this week. Leafhoppers can carry aster yellows phytoplasm, but the percentage of the population carrying it tends to be quite low. In extreme cases, growers could spray the leafhoppers, but there is no economic threshold for aster leafhoppers in canola, and trying to time an insecticide so…
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The Canola Council of Canada is looking for growers and agronomists willing to collect cutworms for research. Cutworms are an increasing threat to canola and other crops, and growers will benefit from knowing more about this native pest…
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Striped flea beetles seem to be more common each year, especially in the northern canola growing regions. Research suggests that a population of striped flea beetles may do more feeding on seed-treated canola prior to control than a similar population of the crucifer type, so look closely when scouting…
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Growers cannot expect natural enemies to provide enough immediate control to reduce the pest threat to canola in that year. Growers will still have to spray if economic thresholds are reached. The key is to pay attention to thresholds and spray only when necessary. This will help maintain the natural enemy numbers…
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Our current economic threshold tables for lygus in canola may be too low when applied to current canola production systems across the Prairies. If the stand is healthy and growing fast, growers are reportedly doubling or tripling thresholds. There is no data to support this, but future research needs to reexamine the thresholds with respect to our newer varieties of…