Research in P.E.I. shows the potato vine crusher, meant to crush insect pests clinging to vines at harvest, can also help reduce the viable weed seed banks in potato fields.
Tag Archives European corn borer
Vine crusher can smash weed seeds while squashing potato pests
AAFC’s field testing shows the crusher works on weed seeds under real-world potato harvest conditions
Keep corn rootworm off balance
Hitting it with the same solution year-after-year will just create a new problem
Bayer Crop Science staff say corn production success for Ontario growers includes rotation out of corn, and rotating modes of action when fighting insect pests in the crop.
Bt-resistant corn borer concern grows
Critical tools for controlling corn borer could be lost
Glacier FarmMedia – Bt-resistant populations of European corn borer pose a significant risk to Canadian crop producers. With multiple resistance uncovered, it’s possible Bt-based control technologies will cease to work for the problem pest. Older and more environmentally costly methods of pest control – including repeated in-season insecticide applications – might make a comeback as a result.
Old invention shows promise for weed control in potatoes
Originally designed for insect larvae, the potato vine crusher lowers germination rate of weed seeds
An invention originally designed to control European corn borer in potatoes has shown potential to reduce weed seeds during potato harvest. Dr. Andrew McKenzie-Gopsill, a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, recently discussed the advantages of minimizing weed seeds during harvest to reduce pressure in potato crops. Then a colleague suggested an invention that
Editorial: A fine balance
Where does one individual’s rights end, and another’s begin? One famous definition runs like this: “The right to swing my arms in any direction ends where your nose begins.” It’s a straightforward common-sense approach that attempts to balance individual liberty with the rights of others. However, it’s also a very simplistic black-or-white view. The reality
Heads-up on preserving corn borer-resistant corn
Bt breakdown highlights the importance of following refuge protocols
The first case of European corn borer resistance to Bt corn underscores the need for Manitoba corn growers to take steps to protect the technology, says Manitoba Agriculture’s entomologist John Gavloski. That development was recently confirmed in Nova Scotia. “If corn growers are growing Bt (corn borer)-resistant corn they need to be taking the refuge
Fighting European corn borer? Manitoba Agriculture wants to hear from you
There’s been no Bt resistance yet in Manitoba’s European corn borer population, but entomologist John Gavloski is keeping a sharp eye out
John Gavloski is back on the hunt for European corn borer (ECB). The provincial entomologist hopes to collect 50-100 larvae from Carman-area fields this year, part of a long-standing project to monitor resistance to Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis), a toxin-producing bacteria and the most commonly cited ECB management method. Bt is either used as a spray,
More corn rootworm found in Manitoba
It’s already a major pest in the U.S. Corn Belt, but it can still be easily controlled here
There’s another reason not to grow corn on corn in Manitoba: corn rootworm. The insect, which as its name implies, feeds on corn roots and is a major pest in the American Corn Belt, is showing up in greater numbers in Manitoba. But Manitoba Agriculture entomologist John Gavloski says there’s an easy fix: crop rotation.
Corn borers develop taste for potatoes
Canadian potato growers found a new insect foe in the 2015 season — European corn borer. Ordinarily the pest prefers maize and other grain crops, but when conditions are right it will move on and hit other crops hard, including potatoes. Ian MacRae, an extension entomologist at Minnesota’s Northwest Research and Outreach Center, told Manitoba
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