The Alberta government is removing fusarium graminearum from its pest regulation, a move industry says will allow for better management of the disease. The government said in a news release June 3 that regulating the disease has failed to stop it, arguing the changes allow for the modernization of management practices. It said rates of […] Read more
Crop Management — page 330
Multi-band imaging system offers more
An imaging system for drones that offers 10 spectral bands has recently been released by MicaSense, a Seattle-based developer of multispectral imaging hardware. The company sells a five spectral band camera with five separate lenses called RedEdge-MX, as well as its higher-resolution Altum multispectral camera that captures five bands but also captures a radiometric thermal […] Read more
Weed of the Week: wild buckwheat
Wild buckwheat climbs the ladder of crop pest importance as the season passes. Alberta farmers say in polling it is their least favourite weed. It can be tough to kill, degrades grain and oilseed samples, messes up harvests and will trip up the odd field scout. The ropy pest can prompt grain buyers to refuse […] Read more
Pandemic sets back disease discovery
Aster yellows disease forecasting for western Canadian field crops is difficult in a normal spring, but this year it presents a whole new level of issues because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Agriculture Canada laboratories in Saskatoon are usually well into testing leafhoppers for aster yellows by June, but this year they are yet to test […] Read more
An injection system for plants using bio-silk
That breakfast glass of orange juice may not be around in the future if an insect called the Asian citrus psyllid, which is host to a destructive bacterium, continues its invasion of Florida’s orange trees. The bacterium infects the phloem, the tissue in plants that transports compounds like sugar glucose to where they are needed. […] Read more
Potential new mode of action causes fungus to self-destruct
Fungi present of the greatest challenges to plant health. Wheat is at risk of septoria blotch caused by zymoseptoria tritici, corn is at risk of the corn smut fungus called ustilago maydis, and the rice blast fungus, magnaporthe oryzae, can ravage rice crops. Crops can be protected with fungicides but continued use can lead to […] Read more
How many incidents of dicamba drift?
There were 18 reported cases of dicamba drift in Canada in 2016, based on data from Bayer. By 2019, that number dropped to nine. “The number of known off-target incidences has continued to decline steadily since 2016,” Bayer Canada said in an email. Related story: Dicamba drift not a major problem in Canada “In that […] Read more
Dicamba drift not a major problem in Canada
Dicamba drift may be a controversial issue in the United States, but it hasn’t been a significant problem in Manitoba, says a weed expert in the province. In Manitoba, which has more than one million acres of soybeans, the number of cases of dicamba drift has been minimal. Related story: How many incidents of dicamba […] Read more
Don’t take farming and food for granted says U of C report
Canadians and Canada’s governments shouldn’t take farming and food for granted. That’s the bottom line of a June 9 report from the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy. “Food security in Canada is not something to be taken for granted and government policy action must reflect the essential service agriculture provides for our nation,” […] Read more
Grain still pouring through Thunder Bay
Prairie grain continued to flow through the Ontario Port of Thunder Bay at a brisk pace last month, buoyed by strong export demand for wheat and a rail system that’s been moving grain at a record pace since early March. Chris Heikkinen, finance and communications co-ordinator with the Thunder Bay Port Authority, said the port […] Read more
