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Field Crop and Forage Pests and their Natural Enemies in Western Canada: Identification and Management
Abstract
The accurate identification of (a) pests, (b) the damage they cause, and (c) their natural enemies is one of six elements of a sound Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach to suppress pest populations (p. 3). This field guide is designed to help you apply this element to make more informed decisions to control important harmful insects and mites of field and forage crops in Western Canada. Informed decisions will help save time
and effort and eliminate unnecessary pesticide applications, all of which can help reduce costs. Identification of natural enemies is important in order to recognize and to foster their role in keeping or reducing their host or prey (i.e. pest) populations below economic levels.
... The assemblage of insect pests that attack triticale is similar to those that attack other cereals, such as wheat and barley. According to a recent field guide, several noctuid cutworms, grasshoppers, greenbug, wheat midge, and two coleopteran pests (wireworms and cereal leaf beetle) attack triticale (Philip et al. 2018). Triticale was one of the crops that supported development of cereal leaf beetle larvae (Oulema melanopus L.) in a laboratory study of host preferences (Kher et al. 2016). ...
... A notable pest omission for triticale in the current field guide of insect pests in the Prairies by Philip et al. (2018) is wheat stem sawfly (Cephus cinctus). The biology and management of wheat stem sawfly was studied for over a century since this native insect was reported to threaten wheat production in the Great Plains of North America (Fletcher 1896;Beres et al. 2011). ...
Several insects, including the wheat stem sawfly (Cephus cinctus Norton, Hymenoptera: Cephidae), interfere with biomass and grain production of triticale. We conducted a two-year study in southern Alberta to compare the cultivars Pronghorn and AC Ultima at 200 and 400 seeds/m2 in terms of wheat stem sawfly damage and incidence of a parasitoid wasp (Bracon cephi Gahan, Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Plants of AC Ultima seeded at the high rate were on average damaged less than Pronghorn, and had more parasitoids. AC Ultima was characterized by more solid pith development in the lumen, compared to Pronghorn, and it can be considered adequate germplasm for the development of more resistant solid triticale cultivars. Keywords: insect, pest, parasitoid, triticale.
... Cutworm population outbreaks are difficult to predict partly because of the diversity in species and challenges in forecasting, although environmental conditions are a primary factor leading to outbreaks. 12,13 These seed treatment products continue to be monitored for their potential effects on pollinators and aquatic invertebrates within Canada. 46 Although neonicotinoid seed treatments are banned in the EU, a similar ban proposed in 2018 was not adopted in Canada. ...
Canola/oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) production in Canada has increased to become a foundational crop in the Canadian Prairies and an important economic driver of this region. The increase in seeded area, and by association its reduction in‐crop rotation frequency, has made it easier for pests to overcome current recommended agronomic management practices. The Canola Council of Canada has been successful in involving the entire commodity value chain in promoting and strengthening the Canadian canola industry; however, because of this production increase it is critically important to understand, evaluate and mitigate the potential risks of canola yield losses to current and potential pests. This Perspective provides an overview of what are currently the most damaging insects, pathogens and weeds to canola in the Canadian Prairies, potential future threats and opportunities farmers, agronomists and researchers can take to minimize these risks. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry.
... The pea leaf weevil was first recorded in southern Alberta, Canada in 1997 (Vankosky et al. 2009). Current pea leaf weevil chemical management practices in Canada's Prairie provinces rely on monitoring adult feeding damage on field pea (Philip et al. 2018) and faba bean , even though larval feeding causes the economic damage. The nominal threshold is 15% and 30% of plants with adult damage on terminal leaves for faba bean and field pea, respectively (Cárcamo and Vankosky 2011;Wijerathna et al. 2021). ...
The pea leaf weevil, Sitona lineatus Linnaeus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is an invasive pest of field pea, Pisum sativum Linnaeus, and faba bean, Vicia faba Linnaeus (Fabaceae). Larvae feed on leguminous root nodules and associated Rhizobium leguminosarum Frank (Rhizobiacea) nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Larval feeding causes economic damage, but the current method to assess nodule damage is laborious. Leghaemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying molecule in root nodules, is degraded as larvae feed. Measurement of leghaemoglobin could be an alternative method to estimate larval damage. Here, we developed a fluorometric assay to measure the variation in haem fluorescence, which relates to leghaemoglobin content, from nodulated roots. Roots were collected from caged faba bean plants with or without weevil infestation. Faba bean yield and haem fluorescence were inversely correlated with the percent damaged nodules. A plant growth score was positively correlated with haem fluorescence. This method can be used to assess nodule damage in pulse crops from pea leaf weevil and potentially from other biotic stresses, and it may have wider application to studies of nitrogen fixation.
... This strategy leads to the most sustainable control, but requires knowledge about the pest, monitoring methods, and, when available, economic thresholds (i.e. the point where the cost of control is equal to potential yield loss caused by a pest). [Note: AAFC's Guide to Field Crop and Forage Pests and their Natural Enemies in Western Canada (Philip et al. 2018) has a nice summary of IPM principles and methods.] Different management methods target specific wireworm life stages, and provide within-season (fast) or long-term (usually slow) control. ...
This guide is intended to provide information on wireworm damage, biology, management, research and challenges in crop production on the Canadian Prairies. We have summarized the knowledge of this persistent and complicated pest on the Prairies by discussing the general life cycle, behaviours, and management options for the main pest species in this region. We have also identified major gaps in knowledge and where research is needed. Our target audience include farmers, agronomists, crop scouts, extension personnel and anyone else interested in the impact of wireworms on Prairie crop production.
Note that this guide is a summary of the scientific literature. No content of the guide should be considered as an endorsement of any product.
... Royer and Giles (2017) noted that an average of one turnip aphid or green peach aphid per plant can reduce seed yield by 1.121 kg per hectare under Oklahoma (35.01°N, 97.09°W) conditions. In Canada, Philip, Mori, and Floate (2018) recommends control measures for turnip aphid if there are more than 25 aphids per 10-cm shoot tip on 10% to 20% of the examined plants (when plants are at the late flowering stage). Scouting for aphid's natural enemies and their impact on aphid population dynamics is important because control may not be justified in some case if natural enemies are effective in regulating infestation. ...
Cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., is an important agronomic crop planted for fiber and seeds. Cotton is attacked by many important arthropod pests throughout its growth. The most common worldwide included bollworms, armyworm, boll weevil, aphids, thrips, tarnished plant bug, cotton fleahopper, cotton stainers, and spider mites. Crop losses due to these harmful organisms can be substantial. Information pertaining to their identification, distribution, plant host, biology, and pest management is provided.
... Royer and Giles (2017) noted that an average of one turnip aphid or green peach aphid per plant can reduce seed yield by 1.121 kg per hectare under Oklahoma (35.01°N, 97.09°W) conditions. In Canada, Philip, Mori, and Floate (2018) recommends control measures for turnip aphid if there are more than 25 aphids per 10-cm shoot tip on 10% to 20% of the examined plants (when plants are at the late flowering stage). Scouting for aphid's natural enemies and their impact on aphid population dynamics is important because control may not be justified in some case if natural enemies are effective in regulating infestation. ...
The rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) is cultivated for its oil-rich seed. Many arthropod pests attack the crop successively at various stages of its growth and damage different parts of the plant. Among the common arthropod pests of canola worldwide are mites, cutworms, aphids, flea beetles, diamondback moth, bertha armyworm, cabbage seedpod weevil, root maggots, and hemipteran bugs, although species diversity and severity of infestation can differ greatly between countries. This chapter summarizes the descriptions of the pests’ characteristics, host plants, general damage symptoms, biology and habits, and details regarding pest management.
... Many of the uncertainties with habitat remnants and arthropods center on scaledependent mechanisms of habitat size, distance among required habitat, plant cover type, and plant resources, which are rarely tested together and may act differently on some arthropod groups over others (Harvey & MacDougall, 2014, 2015Grainger & Gilbert, 2017). Habitat impacts in agroecosystems can unfold at landscape and local scales (Soberon, 2007), each of which I test. ...
Habitat is critical for sustaining arthropod populations, but its influence in agricultural landscapes where arthropods are declining is unclear. In a heavily farmed area of Ontario, I examined habitat effects on arthropods at two scales: landscape (habitat isolation) and local (farm cover type-crop, prairie, forest). Additional analyses tested differences in arthropod communities among cover types, how prairie addition affects leaf defoliation, whether crop type influences arthropods (soy, corn, orchard, mixed organic), and whether arthropod richness differs between farm and non-farm sites. I found arthropod richness and abundance to be determined locally, via the presence of restored high-quality prairie habitat. Prairie addition did not affect leaf defoliation but influenced the spatial distribution of herbivores in crops. Crop type influenced arthropod groups, especially herbivores, which preferred mixed organic cover. Lastly, farm and non-farm sites revealed similar family-level richness, suggesting that conventional farms can support arthropod biodiversity if habitat is not limiting. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This guide provides updated information based on the most recent advances in integrated pest management. It includes fact sheets that provide a better understanding of the insect pests and natural enemies present in canola production in Quebec. It also contains information on the biology of the insects, the damage they inflict, the symptoms to watch for, screening methods, control strategies, as well as economic thresholds when these are known.
Cultivated sunflower, H. annuus L. is the second most important source of edible oil. The sunflower plant is attacked by several insects and mites at various stages of crop development which can cause plant damage and economic loss, depending upon the severity of infestation. The major arthropod pests of cultivated sunflower worldwide are the species that can transmit diseases, and those that feed on sunflower heads and seeds during the reproductive stages of the plant. These pests have the ability to cause significant yield loss. Sunflower insect pests that infest developing seed include certain species of the true bugs, flower beetles, weevils, moths, and midge larvae. Those that transmit disease include the stem weevils. Included in this chapter are the descriptions of the pests’ characteristics, host plants, general damage symptoms, biology and habits, and the method of control of the insect pests.
Vanessa virginiensis (Drury))
- American Lady
American Lady (Vanessa virginiensis (Drury))................ 80
Pseudaletia (Mythimna) unipuncta (Haworth))
- Armyworm
Armyworm (Pseudaletia (Mythimna) unipuncta (Haworth))... 73
Cottonwood leaf beetle)
- Fabricius Chrysomela Scripta
Chrysomela scripta Fabricius
(Cottonwood leaf beetle)............................... 20
Sevenspotted lady beetle)
- Linnaeus Coccinella Septempunctata
Coccinella septempunctata Linnaeus
(Sevenspotted lady beetle)............................116
Tetrastichus julius (Walker))
- Eulophide
Eulophide (Tetrastichus julius (Walker)).....................134
105 Gray sunflower seed weevil
- . . Grasshoppers
Grasshoppers............................................105
Gray sunflower seed weevil (Smicronyx sordidu LeConte)..... 31
hesperius Uhler (Black grass bug)
- Irbisia Spp
Irbisia spp. (Black grass bug)................................ 49
J
Jumping spider...........................................113
L
Labops hesperius Uhler (Black grass bug).................... 49
51 Lygus elisus Van Duzee (Pale legume bug)
- . . . Lygus Bugs
Lygus bugs................................................ 51
Lygus elisus Van Duzee (Pale legume bug)................... 51
Hubner) (Cabbage looper)
- Trichoplusia Ni
Trichoplusia ni (Hubner) (Cabbage looper).................... 96
50 Trionymus haancheni McKenzie (Haanchen barley mealybug)
- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trigonotylus Ruficornis Geoffroy
Trigonotylus ruficornis Geoffroy............................. 50
Trionymus haancheni McKenzie
(Haanchen barley mealybug)........................... 71