Onion thrips (Thrips tabaci) feed on more than just onions; they also feed on cabbage, leaf lettuce, a variety of other vegetables and fruits, field crops, and many weed species. Thrips are unique from other insects as they have rasping-sucking mouthparts that allow them to scratch the cell walls of leaves, suck up the cell contents including the chlorophyll, and leave behind a shiny, translucent trail on the leaf. A single female can produce Continue reading Scouting for onion thrips
All posts by Travis Cranmer
The benefits of removing garlic scapes
The wild ancestors of today’s garlic, Allium sativum, originated thousands of years ago in what is believed to be garlic’s center of origin, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. Garlic spread across the globe as it became a popular vegetable, spice, and medicinal plant. The varieties of cultivars we have today were each selected for Continue reading The benefits of removing garlic scapes
Cabbage Maggot; An old pest with limited options
The cabbage maggot (Delia radicum) is the larvae stage of the cabbage root fly which can cause severe damage to all Brassica crops. The adult cabbage maggot is a fly that is about half the size of a house fly and is grey in colour.
In the early spring, cabbage maggot flies emerge from the soil and the females lay small, white eggs ~2-10 cm below the soil line. Depending upon the temperature, eggs hatch 3-7 days later as larvae that immediately start boring Continue reading Cabbage Maggot; An old pest with limited options
Preventing Yield Loss from Flea Beetles
Flea beetles are a common crop pest of crucifers in Ontario and overwinter as adults near the soil surface in debris and stubble from the previous crop. They typically become active with the first extended period of warm weather in the early spring as the leaf litter begins to thaw. The beetles feed on weeds throughout the field and have the ability to fly on calm days and will attack brassica seedlings as they emerge or transplants as they are planted.
Females will begin laying eggs in soil for about 30 days. Flea beetle larvae will hatch from eggs 12 days later and feed on the root hairs and taproots of seedlings. Left unchecked, adults will feed on leaves of transplants and the larvae will burrowing into the plant near the juncture of the root and stem. Continue reading Preventing Yield Loss from Flea Beetles
Prowl® H2O Herbicide label expanded for control of labeled weeds on direct seeded green onions grown on muck soil
Jim Chaput, Minor Use Coordinator
The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) recently announced the approval of an URMULE registration for Prowl® H2O Herbicide for control of labeled weeds on direct seeded, green (bunching) onions grown on muck soil in eastern Canada and British Columbia. Prowl® H2O Herbicide was already labeled for use on a number of crops in Canada for control of weeds. Continue reading Prowl® H2O Herbicide label expanded for control of labeled weeds on direct seeded green onions grown on muck soil
66th Annual Muck Vegetable Growers Conference
The 66th Annual Muck Vegetable Growers Conference will be held April 12-13 at the Bradford and District Memorial Community located at 125 Simcoe St., Bradford, ON. The conference is free and registration starts at 8:30. For more details please see: http://www.uoguelph.ca/muckcrop/muckconference.html
Continue reading 66th Annual Muck Vegetable Growers Conference
