North Peace Applied Research Association Annual Field Tour - July 31, 2024

Here's a list of items and links mentioned by Jennifer at today's field tour: 

INSECT MONITORING IN FIELD CROPS

• Permission to Access by AAFC Staff (posted Jun 3, 2024). 
• Field bio-sanitation protocol (posted May 1, 2024).

• Annual canola survey of the Peace River region (link here); Agreements: 102; Fields: 1170; Targeted survey sites: 110. 
• Aphids in field crops (Weekly Update; Wk12).
• Bertha armyworm (Weekly Update; Wk12).
• Cereal leaf beetle (Weekly Update; Wk10).
• Cutworms (Weekly Update; Wk05).
• Diamondback moth (Weekly Update; Wk12). 
• Fall field scouting in grasses grown for seed (IPM Blog; 2023Sep13)
• Field heroes (Weekly Update; Wk05).
• Flea beetles (Weekly Update; Wk04).
• Grasshopper monitoring (Weekly Update; Wk12).
• Lygus bug (Weekly Update; Wk12).
• Pea leaf weevil (Weekly Update; Wk05).
• Wheat midge monitoring (Weekly Update; Wk11).
• Weekly Update for Week 12 (view list of posts) by #PPMN.

FIELD GUIDES

• Alberta Forage Manual (2009; Ag-Dex120/20-1; ISBN 0-7732-6082-X; pdf in English). Includes Forage Insects and Natural Enemies of Forage Pest Insects chapters. 
• Arthropods of legume forage crops (2011; ISBN 978-0-9689321-5-5; pdf in English). 
• Cutworm field guide (2017; ISBN 978-0-660-08051-2; pdf in English, pdf en français). 
• Field crop and forage insect pests and natural enemies in western Canada (ISBN 978-1-100-25768-6; pdf in English, pdf en français). 
• Guide to pest wireworms in Canadian prairie field crop production (ISBN 978-0-660-39114-4; pdf in English, pdf en français).

PRAIRIE-WIDE NETWORKS

• Prairie Pest Monitoring Network (homepage); Weekly Update, Insect of the Week, Subscribe, Risk Maps, Insect Monitoring Protocols
• Prairie Weed Monitoring Network (homepage). 
• Prairie Crop Disease Monitoring Network (homepage).

INSECT PEST MONITORING PROGRAM AT AAFC-BEAVERLODGE

• X  @bugs5132  with in-season updates.
• Insect Pest Management Lab Blog updated seasonally. 
• Alberta AgriSystems Living Lab
• Peace Region Living Lab

Winter 2022 and our IPM Team!

Our field research program at Beaverlodge hinges on technical support - these are people who implement the science we are fortunate to be supported to do in the Peace River region!

This winter, our program has new people hired who are rapidly learning a LOT about how to process and begin to identify the more than 110 arthropod species that are active in annual and perennial field crops  grown throughout the region. Learn more about Jordon, Vicky, Tessa, and Tanya. They join Shelby, Amanda, and me and we're the IPM Team for the winter of 2022!

Field sanitation protocol to manage soil-borne diseases

The distribution of clubroot in the Peace River region again increased in 2018 from the Big Lakes County (August 2017) to include additional sites in northwestern Alberta:
• Please access the current clubroot map here to learn more about where this disease occurs within Alberta.
• Refer to Alberta Agriculture and Forestry's website for more information on clubroot. 

The IPM Program has, since 2004, used booties and sterilized field equipment using bleach and ethyl alcohol.  From 2017-2018, field sanitation involved the use of Virkon and bleach and since 2019 involved bleach only.  As of May 2021, our field sanitation protocol includes:

* AAFC staff continue to operate marked vehicles when visiting fields to identify ourselves.

* AAFC vehicles continue to park on the road OR on pull-ins – we NEVER drive into a field!

* We reduce field work activities on rainy days to avoid tracking mud.

* We are using sodium hypochlorite or bleach (2%) to sanitize both AT and BETWEEN each field.

* Rubber boots are worn and sterilized using bleach both AT and BETWEEN each field.

* Disposable booties are worn over sterilized rubber boots prior to exiting the vehicle.

* All booties are bagged then sterilized using an autoclave.

* Vehicle tires, wheels, and wheel-wells are sanitized using bleach both AT and BETWEEN each field.

* Any equipment in contact with the soil (eg trowels, soil samplers) is sanitized using bleach.

* We carry multiples of our small field equipment to allow for soaking in bleach and/or sterilization using an autoclave.
* All field equipment (e.g., spades, trowels, soil core samplers) is soaked in bleach after use in each field.

* AAFC vehicles are washed intermittently at commercial car washes to prevent the introduction of clubroot onto our research field plots at Beaverlodge AB.

Please contact us if you have questions or concerns!  If you wish to personally see our sanitization efforts in action, we can arrange it!  You can reach Amanda Jorgensen, Shelby Dufton, or Jennifer Otani by e-mail.

We appreciate the value of all agricultural fields and thank our growers for allowing us to conduct  research in their fields. We appreciate their ongoing support and commitment to insect pest management.  We also want the agricultural industry to be aware and confident that we continue to do our utmost to ensure every field is protected now and in the future. 

Meet our students (2019) - Introducing Matthew!

Hi! My name is Matthew Uniat.

Last summer I worked for AAFC-Lacombe with the Pulse Pathology program. Some of the major tasked I preformed were disease ratings for aphanomyces and fusarium, as well as applying a variety of spray treatments to field plots. This summer, I started working at the Beaverlodge Research Farm in the Integrated Pest Management program. I’m excited to expand my knowledge and look forward to learn about arthropods and their role within the Canadian prairie ecosystem. This job allows a continuation to improving and progressing my experience in doing laboratory/ field-based research.

This fall I will continue my third year of undergraduate studies at Concordia University of Edmonton, majoring in Cellular and Molecular Biology. I moved to the Prairie West region from Edmonton Alberta and am eager to live here for the summer. Throughout my life I’ve spent a great deal of time traveling around the rural areas of western North America; whether it be camping, fishing, or searching for rocks. Over this period, I’ve gained a great deal of respect for the outdoors.

So far, I have been assisting Shelby Dufton and Amanda Jorgensen, the program’s technicians. I’ve started to process sweep-net samples collected in 2018, helped set out diamondback moth pheromone traps, flea beetle sticky traps, and pitfall traps. Everyone I have worked with so far has been a great teacher and I’m excited to spend the next 4 months working with the Insect Pest Management crew.

Meet our students (2019) - Introducing Megan!

Hi! My name is Megan Yu and this is my first time working at the Beaverlodge Research Farm.

I am on my first Co-op work term, coming from the University of British Columbia, where I just finished my third year in Environmental Sciences (focusing on Ecology and Conservation). As this summer holds a lot of firsts for me, I am thrilled to learn about agriculture in the Peace River Region, as well as the insects that are both beneficial and detrimental in the agroecosystem.

Over the past couple of weeks, I have been processing samples from sweep-net collections collected last year. This process involves dumping out contents of the sample onto a tray, retrieving the insect specimens using a paint brush, then sorting the insects into small petri dishes by size and shape. It can be quite difficult, as some insects such as thrips are very tiny. There are also many insects hiding within the plants such as the petals of the flower, so extra caution must be taken when processing these samples.

The two student research technicians I am working for, Amanda and Shelby, are extremely passionate about their work. With warmer and sunnier weather, I am looking forward to go out in the field to do more insect monitoring with our research technicians while exploring the prairies of Alberta. 

Meet our students (2019) - Introducing Cassie!

Hi, my name is Cassie Gerow!

This is my first year working at the Beaverlodge Research Farm. I am looking forward to working in the Insect Pest Management program and learning more about the impact insects have on the farming industry.

So far, I have had the opportunity to learn about some of the insects we will be studying over the summer as well as how samples are collected. I have also assisted my supervisor, Jennifer Otani, in updating the scouting charts on the Prairie Pest Management blog page. These charts are linked to the updated field guide and show growers when these insects are most active as well as their growth stages and what plants they prefer. I will also have the opportunity to process field sweeps from 2019 as well as setting up flea beetle, pit-fall, and diamondback moth traps.

Growing up in the area, I have had lots of exposure to the farming industry. Although my family never were large producers, many of my friends growing up lived and worked on large farms. This experience has given me a great appreciation for the work and research being done at the Beaverlodge Research Farm to help these farmers be more successful.

I have just completed my first year of prerequisites at the Grande Prairie Regional College for Vet school. The experience I will gain over the summer will help me in the future to have a better understanding for what the farmers have to deal with for both their livestock, and the crops they produce to maintain healthy animals.

2018 Cumulative counts for bertha armyworm pheromone traps

Pheromone trapping for the 2018 growing season is now completed with cumulative counts revealing  moths at five of the six sites AAFC-Beaverlodge monitored (Fig. 1).  The site near Fairview had the highest moth counts but the total number of intercepted moths still sits within the "low risk" category used by Alberta Agriculture and Forestry to help predict bertha armyworm larvae during the early pod stages. 

Figure 1.  Cumulative pheromone trap counts (n=1 trap per site) from commercial fields of canola grown in the Peace River region in 2018.  This preliminary data is not to be copied or reproduced without permission.

Growers are encouraged to use the above information to prioritize their in-field scouting.  The above pheromone traps are not precise predictors but remain valuable to growers because they help identify WHERE the moths were flying and WHICH FIELDS TO CHECK for larvae (Fig. 2).

Figure 2.  Late instar bertha aryworm larvae (photo credit: AAFC-Saskatoon).

When present, bertha armyworm larvae should now be moving upwards on canola plants to feed on the developing pods.  The economic threshold for bertha armyworm applies to the larval stages so use the tables posted here to help guide your in-field pest management. 

Remember two important concepts for insect pest management in your canola fields:

• Low numbers of bertha armyworm can fall within a tolerable level where negligible feeding damage may occur but no economic losses will result!  Scout and use the economic threshold values to avoid economic losses!
• Reserve insecticide use only to manage outbreaking populations of bertha armyworm!  Not spraying actually protects and preserves the many natural enemies already actively working for free in fields!

Learn more about bertha armyworm, @FieldHeroes, natural enemies, and use the canola scouting chart to help your canola produce this year!

Contact Jennifer Otani for more information and thank you to our producer-cooperators!

Meet our students (2018) - Introducing Rebecca!

Hello! My name is Rebecca Philip and I have been working at AAFC-Beaverlodge since September 2017.  From September to the end of December 2017, I was working in the Pulse Breeding program based out of AAFC-Lacombe where I was responsible for carrying out cross pollination of pea flowers in an effort to develop new varieties of field peas.  I am excited to switch to the Insect Pest Management program and to learn about insect pests and some of the natural enemies found within field crops grown in the Peace River region.

I am currently enrolled in the  third year of the Natural Resource Science program at Thompson Rivers University, which is located in Kamloops BC. I have a strong love for the outdoors and working outside and I am lucky to have a job and a program that reflect this! Although I come from BC, this is not my first time living in Alberta. Most of my childhood was spent just north of Edmonton in the small town of Bon Accord.

So far, the first weeks in the IPM program have been focused on data entry for the 2017 CARP Flea Beetle project but I’ve also been processing wheat midge from samples collected during the growing season. We are retrieving wheat midge larvae from wheat heads threshed using a single-head thresher.  The data will quantify the density of wheat midge occurring in local wheat fields. In the near future, I will work on the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network’s Blog to archive and update information in preparation for the 2018 growing season.

Figure 1. Rebecca pinning and labelling carabid beetles.

2017 Peace Canola Survey - Otani, Vankosky, Olfert

The 2017 Annual Peace Canola Survey was completed by Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada staff based at Beaverlodge and Saskatoon.

Since 2003, the annual survey has been performed with the main objectives of (i) collecting insect pest data throughout the region and (ii) to detect the introduction of the cabbage seedpod weevil into the Peace River region.  In 2017, a total of 102 commercial fields of Brassica napus (e.g., each field ≥80 acres in size) were surveyed and no B. rapa was encountered.  

Fields were surveyed by sweep-net using 50 - 180° sweeps on the following dates in these areas:
• July 4 near Manning, Hawk Hills, Tompkins Landing, Blue Hills, Buffalo Head, LaCrete, Rocky Lane.
• July 10 near Crooked Creek, DeBolt, Bezanson, Grande Prairie.
• July 11 near Guy, High Prairie, McLennan, Falher, Nampa, Peace River, Tangent, Watino, Smoky River, LaGlace, Woking, Spirit River, Rycroft, Fairview, Hines Creek, Sexsmith.
• July 12 near Whitelaw, Berwyn, Grimshaw, Marie Reine, Jean Cote, Girouxville, Eaglesham, Wanham, Peoria, Teepee Creek, Hythe, Baldonnel, Montney, Rose Prairie, Fort St. John, Cecil Lake, Doe River, Rolla, Valhalla, Demmitt, LaGlace, Grande Prairie, Goodfare, Elmworth, Blueberry Mountain, Silver Valley, Bonanza.

Sweep-net samples were frozen then processed to generate data for a total of 9730 arthropods (excluding thrips and aphids) which were identified and categorized into 39 taxa.  The 2017 summary includes eight economically important insect pests reported from 98 surveyed canola fields plus data related to rotational practices in the Peace River region:

The 2017 summary is available as a downloadable PDF file.

THANK YOU to the following hard working AAFC staff who surveyed†, processed‡, and mapped∞ this data:  Jadin Chahade1†‡, Kaitlin Freeman1†‡, Holly Spence1†‡, Rebecca Wu1†‡, Charlotte Morrison1†‡, Cameron McGlade-Bouchard1†‡, Shelby Dufton1‡, Amanda Jorgensen1‡, and David Giffen2∞.

Finally, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, Thank you to our canola producers for allowing us to sample in their fields!

Field sanitation protocol in place to continue to manage clubroot and other soil-borne diseases

We are updating you on a new situation: Clubroot was confirmed in August 2017 within the Peace River region (in Big Lakes County). Refer to Alberta Agriculture and Forestry's website for more information on clubroot. 

The IPM Program has, since 2004, used booties and sterilized field equipment using bleach and ethyl alcohol but we have now updated and implemented increased our sanitation methods for every field as of August 31, 2017:

* AAFC Staff continue to operate marked vehicles when visiting fields to identify ourselves.

* AAFC Vehicles continue to park on the road OR on pull-ins – we NEVER drive into a field!

* NEW -  We will reduce field work on rainy days to avoid tracking mud.

* NEW – We are using Virkon (2%), a disinfectant tested and routinely used by Albertan pathologists to manage clubroot, to sanitize both AT and BETWEEN each field.

* NEW – Rubber boots are worn and sterilized using Virkon both AT and BETWEEN each field.

* Disposable booties are worn over sterilized rubber boots prior to exiting the vehicle.

* All booties are bagged then sterilized using an autoclave.

* NEW – Vehicle tires, wheels, and wheel-wells are sanitized using Virkon both AT and BETWEEN each field.

* Any equipment in contact with the soil (eg trowels, soil samplers) is sanitized using Virkon following usage.

* All field equipment (e.g., spades, trowels, soil core samplers) are soaked in Virkon after use in each field.

* NEW – We are purchasing multiples of our equipment to allow for soaking in Virkon and/or sterilization using an autoclave.

* NEW – AAFC vehicles will be washed intermittently at commercial car washes to prevent introduction of clubroot onto our research field plots at Beaverlodge AB.

Please let us know if you have questions or concerns!  If you wish to personally see our sanitization efforts in action, please let us know so we can arrange it!  You can reach us by e-mail at Amanda.Jorgensen@canada.ca or Jennifer.Otani@agr.gc.ca. 

We appreciate the value of all agricultural fields and thank our growers for allowing us to conduct  research in their fields. We appreciate their ongoing support and commitment to pest management.  We also want the agricultural industry to be aware and confident that we continue to do our utmost to ensure every field is protected now and for the future. 

Natural enemy of Cabbage Root Maggots - Aleochora bilineata (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)

Beneficial arthropods are present in all field crops.  On the Canadian prairies, several insect pests cause economic levels of damage but natural enemies play an important role in the regulation of all species.  Diseases, parasites, parasitoids, and predators are all examples of natural enemies that will attack and regulate insect pest pests.  Read on to learn more about these organisms and the importance of preserving them in field crop situations!

CANOLA
Cabbage root maggots are a multivoltine complex of up to three species including Delia planipalpis, D. radicum, D. floralis (Diptera: Anthomyiidae).  The cabbage root maggot overwinters within a puparium and emerges in the spring.  Data has shown that continuous cropping of canola on canola contributes to high populations of root maggot so crop rotation is the greatest tool to manage this insect pest whose larval stage feeds upon the canola root.  The beneficial organism that attacks both the egg and pupal stages of the cabbage root maggot is Aleochora bilineata, a small staphylinid beetle which is both predator and parasitoid!  Aleochora bilineata adults hunt and eat Delia spp. eggs but this beneficial organism also parasitizes Delia puparia so, instead of the fly emerging from the root maggot puparium, a beetle emerges - check it out below!

More information is available below from the new Insect Guide:

Also look up this scientific publication to learn more about Aleochora bilineata in canola production systems in Canada: Broatch J.S., Dosdall L.M., Yang R.C., Harker K.N., Clayton G.W.  2008. Emergence and seasonal activity of the entomophagous rove beetle Aleochara bilineata (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) in canola in Western Canada. Environ Entomol. 37(6):1451-60.

2016 Peace Canola Survey - Summary is available now!

The 2016 Annual Peace Canola Survey was completed by Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada staff based at Beaverlodge and Saskatoon.

Since 2003, the annual survey has been performed with the main objectives of (i) collecting insect pest data throughout the region and (ii) to detect the introduction of the cabbage seedpod weevil into the Peace River region.  In 2016, a total of 156 commercial fields of Brassica napus (e.g., each field ≥80 acres in size) were surveyed and no B. rapa was encountered.

Fields were surveyed by sweep-net using 50 - 180° sweeps on the following dates in these areas:
• July 5 near Whitelaw, Berwyn, Grimshaw, Dixonville, Manning, Hotchkiss, Hawk Hills, Notikewin, Blue Hills, Buffalo Head, La Crete.
• July 6 near Fort Vermilion, Blumenort, Valhalla, La Glace, Westmark, Woking, Spirit River, Blueberry Mountain, Silver Valley, Bonanza, Bay Tree, Beaverlodge, Halcourt, Wembley, Grande Prairie, Clairmont, Sexsmith, Teepee Creek, Bezanson, Dimsdale, Huallen, Fairview, Vanrena, Hines, Creek, Worsley, Eureka River,
• July 7 near Rycroft, Webster, Hythe, Wanham, Girouxville, Watino, Eaglesham, Belloy, Dawson Creek, Rolla, Dow River, Clayhurst, Cecil Lake, Fort St. John, Farmington, Valleyview, Guy, Falher, Reno, Nampa, Peace River, Marie-Reine, McLennan, Whitemud Creek.

Sweep-net samples were frozen then processed to generate data for a total of 21,278 arthropods which were identified and categorized into 38 taxa. The 2016 summary includes 15 economically important pests of canola reported from 156 surveyed canola fields plus data related to rotational practises in the Peace River region.

The 2016 summary is available as a downloadable PDF file.

THANK YOU to the following hard working AAFC staff who surveyed†, processed‡, and mapped∞ this data: Jadin Chahade1†‡, Kaitlin Freeman1†‡, Holly Spence1†‡, Hannah Avenant1†‡, Laura Stewart1†‡, Celine Coschizza1†‡, Emily Lemke1†‡, Owen Olfert2†∞, Taylor Kaye2†∞, Shelby Dufton1‡, and Amanda Jorgensen1‡.


Finally, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, Thank you to our canola producers for allowing us to sample in their fields!

Bertha armyworm monitoring

This week on the Farm: Bertha Armyworm (Mamestra configurata)

The past few days we have been very busy setting up Bertha Army Worm traps.  Bertha Armyworm adults will begin to emerge from their overwintering pupa around early June and will continue until early August. The number of adults collected by a trap will provide an indication of the risk of larval damage.

When setting up a monitoring site for Bertha Armyworm, it is important that the traps are not placed next to a shelterbelt, ditch, or within ½ a kilometer of a strong light source. Each trap should be located about 2 m from the edge of the field.  In the Peace River region, previous trapping has resulted in high numbers of native Bombus species so only one trap is deployed per site.

The traps used to monitor Bertha Armyworm are called Unitraps. The trap is all green and is mounted  approximately 1metre above the ground on a strong stake (Figure 1). Inside the trap, a pheromone lure is positioned to attracts male moths into the bucket then a Vapona insecticide strip within the bottom of the trap kills the males once they are inside the bucket.

Figure 1. Unitrap mounted on stake within a field
(photo source: http://insectpestmanagement.blogspot.ca/p/blog-page.html)

Our Bertha armyworm traps are collected weekly.  To do so, the Unitrap is opened, the contents are carefully emptied into a small brown paper bag which is labelled then stapled shut. The sample is taken back to the lab where the moths and by-catch are sorted and typically the specimens are pinned and labelled.  

Presently, non-automated traps are used.  However, because Bertha Armyworm moths are active at dusk, our lab has tested automated pheromone traps that remain closed during the day to reduce by-catch of Bombus species.  That automated traps were designed to remain closed during the day but automatically open in the evening to attract and intercept bertha armyworm males during peak flight times.

For more information on Bertha Armyworms follow the link to the protocol: http://www.westernforum.org/Documents/IPMN%20Protocols/2013_BAW%20Monitoring%20protocol.pdf

-Kaitlin

Diamondback moth monitoring

The host plants of the diamondback moth (Figure 1) belong to the family Brassicaceae, which includes canola, mustard, and broccoli. They lay their eggs on these plants, and these hatch to be small miners, which live inside the leaves. Older larvae are yellow-green caterpillars, which eat the leaves, flowers, and other tissues of the plant. The larvae finally pupate in cocoons on these plants and emerge as moths.  Each year, Diamondback moths travel north into Canada using high altitude air masses.  Moths travel from Mexico, southern United States and the Pacific northwest from April and on through the growing season.

Figure 1. Diamondback moth adult, larva and pupa (Wikimedia Commons, Government of Manitoba).  Note the two prolegs at the rear of the larva that form characteristic "spurs".

The IPM team monitors diamondback moths throughout the Peace River region with the goal of determining the timing and magnitude of the moths’ mass migration. To do this, we set up delta traps (Figure 2). These traps are lined with sticky cards and baited with the alluring scent of female pheromones to attract male diamondback moths. We align the traps east-west to funnel the prevailing winds. The traps are generally set out in late April and the sticky cards are collected weekly for 6 weeks or longer, depending on the timing of the moths’ arrival. Later in the season, once the crops have grown, we also count the number of diamondback larvae present on the plants per unit area by doing a beat sample. For more information about the life cycle and monitoring of the diamondback moth, check out our monitoring protocols.  

Figure 2. Delta trap used to capture diamondback moth moths in situ.  The pheromone lure is hung inside the trap and moths are collected on the sticky card inserted on the inner surface of the trap.

Back at the lab, we count the number of moths on each card (Figure 3). Working with the cards can be challenging, as the sticky substance will cover the lab tables, the instruments, and students’ fingers if these items are not protected. We also record the results of the beat sample and amalgamate all the data. The location of the site and the timing of each collection, along with the economic threshold for each crop, provide information about when crops should be sprayed with pesticides.

Figure 3.  Sticky card with diamondback moths marked using a blue dot.  By-catch insects include flies and beetles.

- Laura