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

Biological control research activities we contribute towards (1999-2023)

We just pulled together a quick summary of the various biological control activities our program has contributed towards...

AAFC-STB-Alberta-Beaverlodge Research Farm (Jennifer.Otani@agr.gc.ca) – The Pest Management program is active in annual and perennial field crops grown in the Alberta and BC portions of the Peace River region (i.e., 55-59 degrees North by 117-120 degrees West). 

Historical projects include parasitoids/parasitism of Lygus spp. by Peristenus, Phasia aeneoventris; Delia spp. larvae in canola by Aleochora bilineata; coccinellid larvae by Oomyzus scaposus; cutworms in annuals and perennials grown for seed Apamea devastator, A. amputatrix, Nephelodes minians, Euxoa auxiliaris, Actebia fennica and more by various parasitoids and viruses; Coleophora deauratella and C. mayrella by Chelonus spp., Neochrysocharis formosa now placed in genus Omphale; Thymelicus lineola with zero observed parasitism over multiple years, Tychius meliloti, T. picirostris, T. stephensii with zero observed parasitism over multiple years, Hypera nigrirostris by Scambus hispae (tentative), Bathyplectes curculionis, B. exiguus; Sitodiplosis mosellana by Macroglenes penetrans, Platygaster sp., Inostemma walkeri. 

Currently, the program supports R. DeClerck-Floate (AAFC-Lethbridge) with a release and post-release data collection on common toadflax near Grande Cache AB in 2022 plus we are following-up in 2024 by (i) confirming Oulema melanpus at larval feeding sites reported in 2023 in the Peace River region, and (ii) attempting to confirm larval parasitism levels. 

Biological control topics relevant to the region needing support for the future include wheat midge parasitism, cereal leaf beetle parasitism, seed-feeding clover weevil parasitism, red clover casebearer parasitism, European skipper parasitism, plus the control of common toadflax, oxeye daisy, Canada thistle and kochia. 

Thank you to Dr. O. Lonsdale (AAFC-Ottawa) who coordinates NIS submissions and to the many taxonomists who have helped us over the years!

2019 IPM Program Staff

We are well into the 2019 growing season and we are pleased to have three summer students (Matthew, Megan and Cassie) working in the lab alongside our two technicians (Shelby and Amanda.  Welcome to the team!

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.

Meet our students (2019) - Introducing Stephanie!

Hi! My name is Stephanie Thompson and I recently started working with the Beaverlodge Research Farm in the Integrated Pest Management program. I am from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and in my third year of undergraduate studies at the University of Manitoba majoring in Biological Sciences. My goals for this work term are to learn more about the program and gain skills and experience doing laboratory-based research. I also hope to become more knowledgeable regarding the various types of arthropods that are both pests and beneficials in the agricultural ecosystem on the Canadian prairies.

So far, I have been assisting a M.Sc. student, Shelby Dufton, with processing pitfall samples collected through the summer of 2018. Everyone I have worked with thus far has been great and I look forward to spending the next 4 months learning with and from them.

Meet our students (2018) - Introducing Maya!

Hi!
My name is Maya Schmidt and I’ve just begun my second summer working at the Beaverlodge Research Farm.It’s my first time working with the IPM program.

I’ve recently finished my first year of my Bachelor of Engineering at the University of Alberta. I am eager to learn tons this summer and have already had fascinating experiences in my first few weeks of the job.  In the last couple of weeks, we’ve been setting up flea beetle and diamondback moth traps located at various growers’ fields around the county. The flee beetle traps are a double sided yellow sticky card – the yellow colour of the card is what attracts the flea beetles. The diamondback moth ones are set up as a delta trap, with a sticky card and pheromone lure inside to attract male moths. Recently, we collected the first set of cards which need to be collected and replaced every week. The cards are processed by inspecting them under a microscope. We identify and count the target insects on each trap.

The other new students and I have also been assisting the two graduate students, Amanda and Shelby, with processing their wheat samples.  Their experiments involve hand-threshing wheat head samples to identify and count wheat midge larvae infestation levels. Other collecting and processing involved red clover field trash where we are looking for overwintered weevils and red clover casebearers.
I hope to gain valuable experience, expand my scientific knowledge and perhaps step out of my comfort zone. It looks like it’s going to be an interesting summer!

Meet our students (2018) - Introducing Mariah!

Hi everyone! My name is Mariah Ediger and I am enrolled in the third year of a Bachelor of Natural Resource Science degree at Thompson Rivers University. On January 8, 2018, I started to work in the Integrated Pest Management Lab at the Beaverlodge Research Farm for a four month Co-op work term.

So far I have been helping Shelby Dufton, a M.Sc. candidate, process pitfall samples collected during the 2017 field season as part of a multi-year research project examining natural enemies attacking wheat midge. This project assesses the diversity of natural enemies associated with wheat production and will generate new data on both pest and beneficials occurring within the Peace River region.

Processing pitfalls involves retrieving, identifying and counting carabid (ground) beetles, staphylinid (rove) beetles, other beetles, and any arachnids preserved in the sample. Some carabid beetle species are natural enemies of the wheat midge. Others provide free services for farmers by eating other pest insects and weed species. These beneficial beetles offer another management strategy for farmers besides insecticides and resistant crop varieties, thus expanding a farmer's arsenal of weapons to target pests.

This field research study also examines factors such as crop rotations and seeding rates on canopy closure and carabid activity patterns because we hope to identify field situations that potentially preserve or augment ground beetles in wheat.  In addition to the beetles present in the wheat production system, the project also assesses parasitoid levels in the research plots and surrounding commercial fields.  Macroglenes penetrans and two other species of parasitoid wasps were researched then approved for release to control wheat midge in the mid-80 in Saskatchewan.  This study seeks to assess the diversity, density and distribution of these parasitoids within the Peace River region.

So far, this experience has been great and I look forward to learning more about carabid beetles and the challenges facing agriculture on the prairies regarding insect pests.

Figure 1.  Mariah holding a Madagascar hissing cockroach (Grompnadorina portentosa) from
the IPM lab colony (founded by of Paul Coghlin's colony).

Cereal leaf beetle information

Information related to Cereal leaf beetle (Coleoptera: Oulema melanopus) has been posted below so growers and agrologists can print or view during the 2017 growing season.  
Cereal leaf beetle overwinters as an adult and the larval stages can cause economic losses owing to feeding damage on the leaves of cereals although the species has a broad host plant range (i.e., includes oats, wheat, barley, rye, corn but also wild oats, quackgrass, timothy, canary grass, reed canary grass, annual and perennial ryegrass, foxtail, orchard grass, wild rye, smooth brome and fescues).  There is one generation per year.

Extensive Cereal leaf beetle information for the Canadian prairies is posted and updated on the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network's Blog (click to link to an example including biology and monitoring tips).

Fact sheets for cereal leaf beetle are published by the province of Alberta and available from the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network. Also access the Oulema melanopus page from the new "Field crop and forage pests and their natural enemies in western Canada - Identification and management field guide".  A screen shot of the page is below for reference.

Cereal leaf beetle is attacked by an effective biological control agent, Tetrastichus julis, which is a small wasp that selectively seeks out and parasitizes the larval stages of its host.  Dr. Hector Carcamo (AAFC-Lethbridge) recently prepared a description of T. julis and its impact on cereal leaf beetle in Canada.  A screen shot is below for reference or hyperlink to the document.

During the growing season, be sure to check out the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network's Blog for the Weekly Updates.  Bioclimatic modelling is used, together with current environmental data from across the prairies, to predict the occurrence of the various developmental stages of Cereal leaf beetle larvae to aid scouting efforts.  Because the weather changes, the bioclimatic model outputs are updated weekly through the growing season and particularly in the spring.  Additionally, bioclimatic modelling is used to help predict when the biological control agent, T. julis, will be active and to help predict its development within its host (cereal leaf beetle larvae) through the growing season.