photo AAFC

Is alfalfa weevil taking a bite out of your forage crop?

Researchers are working on an interactive map to help producers assess potential for weevil infestations

Many Saskatchewan forage growers dutifully waited for alfalfa to reach the 15 per cent bloom stage before cutting last year, but their patience went unrewarded. Thanks to the alfalfa weevil, a nasty little pest that has been gradually spreading across the southern Prairies since its arrival here in the 1950s, they were waiting for a

During spring and fall, mass occurrences of the Asian lady beetle can often be observed. photo: supplied

Asian lady beetles use biological weapons

Scientists have recently figured out how the Asian lady beetle has so rapidly overtaken native beetle populations in Europe and North America. Researchers from the University of Giessen and the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany say the Asian beetle is capable of infecting its competitors with a deadly parasite. First introduced


Multi-toxin biotech crops not silver bullets

When pests developed resistance to Bt crops such as corn, potatoes and cotton, seed companies had an answer: two-toxin varieties. But new research suggests it may be the wrong one. Bioengineered crops with genes taken from bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis have been widely grown since 1996. The genes produce Bt toxins, reducing the need for pesticide

Purging the spurge in Manitoba

Most farmers are well aware of leafy spurge. This invasive perennial plant was accidentally introduced to North America in the early 1800s. Today, according to the 2010 leafy spurge Economic Impact Assessment (www.leafyspurge.ca) this invasive plant costs the Manitoba economy over $40 million a year with over 1.2 million acres infested. The Stanley Soil Management

Scientists work to reduce bean diseases

Some of their work was displayed during the Manitoba Pulse Growers Association’s recent annual tour

Can the same technology that warms up leftover pizza control seed-borne diseases in beans? A University of Guelph master’s student is hoping to find out. Allison Friesen is testing microwaves on seed-borne diseases such as halo blight and common bacterial blight, two diseases that can cut into yields and quality. “She spent the winter with


Tiny Wasp Used To Avert Disaster Farmers Never See

CO-OPERATOR CONTRIBUTOR / LETHBRIDGE You may never have seen it, it doesn t have a common name, it didn t cost you a cent, but it may be saving you thousands in lost yield and pesticide cost. Tetrastichus julis (T. julis) is a tiny wasp that feeds on the cereal leaf beetle, a Eurasian pest

Proper Use Of Chemicals Important In Flood Cleanup

Sanitizing is one step of cleaning up after a flood. Flood cleanup experts often recommend people use a water and chlorine bleach solution to destroy bacteria. However, biocides such as bleach aren’t effective in all instances. For example, bleach and other biocides destroy living organisms such as mould, but they do not prevent future mould

Beetles Find It Tough Going In Manitoba

Manitoba has been using biocontrol beetles since 1988 in Spruce Woods Park, but the results haven’t been encouraging. In the 1990s, there were 3,500 beetle releases, mainly the black and brown flea beetle species, said John Johnson, president of the Manitoba Weed Supervisors Association. In 1996, 350,000 were brought in from a capture site in


Include European Pesticide Policy In Free Trade Talks

Officials negotiating a free trade deal with Europe must get EU officials to clarify the impact proposed pesticide registration rules will have on food imports from Canada, says Ron Bonnett, first vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. “We plan to raise this issue with Canadian negotiators,” Bonnett said in an interview after a meeting

Bringing Plants Indoors For The Winter

Many gardeners who have sunrooms, light gardens or wide windowsills in their houses overwinter plants which are used outdoors during the summer growing season. One reason for doing this is to save money by not having to purchase so many plants in the spring, although this doesn’t seem to work for me as I rationalize