Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
August 8, 2008
Crop producers across Western
Canada can look forward to more timely and comprehensive crop
pest forecasting for the remainder of the year and future
growing seasons. Improved forecasts should help producers manage
insect outbreaks.
Four provincial entomology specialists, four funding agencies,
and scientists from universities and Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada research centres are involved. The
Western Grains Research
Foundation (WGRF) is pleased to be providing support for the
initiative.
Weekly forecast maps and interpretive text for wheat midge,
bertha armyworm, diamond back moth, cabbage seedpod weevil and a
number of other troublesome crop pests will be issued. Risk
warnings will be released if warranted.
This information is available to producers by signing up for the
email updates on WGRF's website
www.westerngrains.com.
A link can be found on the home page under Insect Forecaster
for more information.
"Bringing experts from the four western Canadian provinces
together to compare notes on pests and having them work together
on forecasting and risk assessments is not something that has
ever been done in the past," says Amanda Soulodre,
communications manager at WGRF. "We are excited about this
collaboration and are happy that farmers will reap the rewards."
The principal research scientist for the project is Dr. Owen
Olfert with the Saskatoon Research Centre of Agriculture and
Agri-Food Canada.
"A great deal of work is already occurring on insect pests in
each of the three Prairie Provinces," explains Olfert. "This
project ensures the necessary field work is accomplished in a
timely manner and makes sure the data is combined for a regional
perspective."
For canola pests such as bertha armyworm and diamondback moth,
pheromone traps are used to monitor populations, while cabbage
seedpod weevils are surveyed using sweep nets. For wheat midge,
wheat fields are sampled in the fall to determine the
distribution, density and rates of parasitism of midge cocoons
in the soil. Real-time weather data will be used to help predict
pest development during the spring and summer.
For Olfert, the benefit is information for his research work on
mitigation strategies. He needs data on population trends to
build long-term forecast models and to understand the natural
regulation of pest by predators and parasites.
As one of the funding agencies, the Western Grains Research
Foundation is contributing $10,000 a year for three years from
its Endowment Fund.
"WGRF is often known for our research in wheat and barely
variety development because of our check-offs," points out
Soulodre. "But we fund research in all sorts of crops through
our Endowment Fund. We will look at projects in any crop type as
long as it shows a benefit to farmers in Western Canada and has
scientific merit."
WGRF's Endowment Fund is where the excess railway revenue cap
dollars are directed. Excess funds plus a penalty of 5% are
invested into this Fund which supports research across all crop
types for the benefit of western Canadian farmers.
By channelling these funds through the WGRF, as opposed to
distributing a share to each farmer individually, it enables the
money to have a greater impact on agriculture, such as the
potential benefit of this pest-forecasting project.
"We consider this a great investment," says Soulodre. "Funding
projects like this one with the excess revenue cap funds will
mean major improvements in the information available to
producers. This coordinated information should allow more
effective control measures and help reduce crop losses into the
future."
In the long term, this project has the potential to develop and
expand. If successful, this team-structured approach could also
carry over into other monitoring programs, such as plant
diseases. If an expansion did take place it could mean an added
advantage for producers when making cropping decisions.
Pest threats are increasing on the Prairies. Cabbage seedpod
weevil continues to expand into major canola-growing areas and
wheat midge populations are at an all-time high in regions of
Saskatchewan and Alberta. The project will also help the
industry remain vigilant for new threats, such as cereal leaf
beetle which was recently discovered in southern Alberta. |
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