GrainsWest Spring 2021

Spring 2021 Grains West 26 THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT A trove of insect resources that can be accessed through apps or found online. Catton and Wist recommend the following resources for farmers who want to get smart on beneficial bugs. Apps are available from Google Play and the Apple Store where noted. XARVIO SCOUTING APP: Assess leaf damage from pests as well as weeds and diseases. The app can determine exactly the percentage of a given leaf that has been damaged, which can help determine if spraying thresholds have been triggered. Google Play and Apple Store CEREAL APHID MANAGER APP: A straightforward app from the federal gov- ernment, CAM gives farmers aphid and aphid predator scouting information on barley, oat, rye and wheat and predicts what the aphid population will be in one week’s time. It indicates when insecticidal control is necessary, using dynamic action thresholds that take into account the actions of beneficial insects on aphid populations. Google Play and Apple Store APHID ADVISOR APP: A soybean specific app, it can suggest the appropriate time to spray if soybean aphids require control. To help make the determi- nation, the app utilizes aphid and natural enemy numbers and extrapolated growth rates. The app’s recommendations become more refined as more user data is submitted. Google Play and Apple Store iNATURALIST APP: While not specific to agriculture, this app is like Face- book for nature lovers and can suggest the identity of insects from submit- ted pictures. A project of the National Geographic Society and the California Academy of Sciences, this amazing user-driven app catalogues the time, location, date and other user submitted details about insect finds. Citizen scientists can then discuss findings in online forums. More than 56 million images have been submitted representing more than 313,000 species. Google Play and Apple Store FIELD HEROES: The brainchild of the Western Grains Research Foundation, Field Heroes is a social media platform that assists Canadian farmers in the identification of helpful and harmful insects. Its motto is “Think beneficials before you spray,” and it features the bedrock resources farmers need to identify pests, understand beneficials and scout for either. Find Field Heroes on Twitter @fieldheroes or online at fieldheroes.ca . GOVERNMENT OF CANADA FIELD GUIDE: An annually updated PDF that addresses issues and features management tips on more than 90 pests in Western Canada. It also includes information on more than 30 beneficial insects that kill various pests. Go to canada.ca and search “Field crop and forage pests and their natural enemies in Western Canada: identification and management.” “Those beneficials, if they get there in time, they can suppress pests from reaching that economic threshold,” he said. “If the crop is not at that threshold, it’s not taking that loss. Otherwise, you take that loss pulling out the sprayer, diesel, chemical and your time to spray.” One of the key things to remember, Wist said, is that many of the beneficial insects, such as ground beetles, are nocturnal and will virtually never be seen, as they hunt at night. For every pest, there are usually two to three corresponding beneficials, and identification is critical in order to fight pests in an informed manner. “Ladybug larvae is kind of frightening looking and can cause a farmer to say, ‘what should I be treating them with?’” he noted as an example. “Farmers need to remember that not everything in your field is going to be a pest.” “Farmers need to remember that not everything in your field is going to be a pest.” —Tyler Wist FEATURE