Biocontrols

Help wanted! The case for new biocontrol agents

Macrolophus pygmaeus. This generalist predator feeds on a wide range of pest species and now underpins biocontrol programs in many European vegetable greenhouses.

Greenhouse production in Canada is growing and evolving. Tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers have traditionally been the primary crops grown in Canadian vegetable greenhouses, while the floriculture sector has been producing a wide range of potted plants, bedding plants and cut flowers.

All the right ways to apply microbial biopesticides

Biopesticides are compatible with most biocontrol agents, such as predatory mites, which are widely used in greenhouse ornamentals.

Let’s face it, chemicals have been around for some time now, and have allowed us to successfully manage pests through each growing season. But it’s telling, that we still have to battle the same suite of pests and diseases in greenhouse crops, only now these are resistant to many of the chemicals that have been used against them.

The economics of biocontrol

Biologically based pest management technologies are being widely accepted because of their potential to beneficially exploit pest systems with little to no probability of harmful effects on human health and the environment.

Banking on bankers: Rearing the next generations of beneficials

Banker plant systems at the ends of some rows at Orangeline Farms. Pictured here (from left to right) are: mullein, ‘Purple flash’ ornamental pepper and the cereal banker plant system.

Walking into the Orangeline Farms greenhouse, you’ll notice a myriad of purple and green foliage at the ends of some rows. But they’re not any one of the 20 different bell pepper varieties that the greenhouse operation grows.

Can parasitic wasps effectively kill the pepper weevil?

The pepper weevil, Anthonomus eugenii is one of the most important pests of pepper crops in North America. Currently, there are no commercial products that can target immature stages of the pepper weevil, however strategies including biological control, may be useful in attacking these life stages and reducing population levels.

Friendly but deadly: Getting to know your mycoinsecticides

Whitefly pests of greenhouse crops are a susceptible target for mycoinsecticides.

Insect pests don’t always die by flipping over with six legs in the air. In nature, the process is sometimes an inescapable decline due to an overwhelming infection, followed by loss of appetite, disinterest in reproduction, lethargy, and then death. Science has learned to isolate, select and mass-produce some of these infectious microbes.

Understanding Ervi: Tips for successful foxglove aphid control

When we started our project to develop a more effective IPM strategy against foxglove aphids, one of the first questions we tried answering was “Why doesn’t Aphidius ervi provide good control?” Growers and IPM specialists have previously reported that this aphid parasitoid does not seem to be effective in controlling the relatively “new” aphid pest - foxglove aphid.

IPM Strategy for foxglove aphids

Having trouble controlling foxglove aphids in your greenhouse? You’re not alone.

Tips on thrips: Management in the greenhouse

Senior crop advisor Nicole Stewart, scouting for thrips in cucumber.

One of the most predictable and chronic pests of greenhouse crops is the western flower thrip.

Four P’s for Cannabis IPM

Two spotted spider mite on cannabis plant.

December 2017 – Cannabis sativa has been used medically, recreationally and spiritually throughout the world for about five millennia now. In recent times there has been an increasing trend of the public being more accepting towards the use of cannabis as a medical treatment option for various illnesses.

A protein that restricts sap uptake by aphids

Oct. 11, 2017, Umeå, Sweden – Researchers at Umeå University and Wageningen University have discovered how plants can defend themselves against aphids.

Are pesticides compatible with biocontrol?

Drs. Michael Brownbridge and Rose Buitenhuis, of Vineland.

October 2017 – This is the last part in a six-part series of articles on thrips (and other pests) integrated pest management, where we provide practical application tips and tricks, information on new technologies and how it all fits within an overall IPM program. Each article is accompanied by a short video demonstrating a technique or principle.

Beating the (pepper weevil) Beast

A dead adult pepper weevil collected from a greenhouse.

October 2017 – The pepper weevil has become a bigger nightmare for pepper growers in Leamington area. The swarming of pepper weevil in the Leamington area might be a result of the milder winters and more year-round greenhouse production, inter-planting schemes and lack of attention on greenhouse cleaning procedures that enhance the survivorship of pepper weevil. Ignoring just one adult weevil is a reason to take out an entire crop.

Aphids a Major Issue in Ornamental and Vegetable crops

September 2017 – Aphids can cause significant economic losses on ornamentals by causing deformities, reduced size, or by merely being present on the plants. Such presence affects the aesthetic value of infested plants, thereby reducing or preventing their marketability.

Discussing The Latest IPM Tools

Gongyu Lin from the University of Montreal demonstrates her research on using predatory mites to carry Beauveria spores to infect western flower thrips.

September 2017 – I’m sure growers sometimes wonder what the heck scientists are doing behind closed doors all day in our labs and research greenhouses. Since it often takes several years of repetitious experiments to conclusively find an answer to a problem (or even longer to bring a new product or process to the market), I’m sure that, from the outside, it sometimes seems like things are at a standstill.