Reading Time: 2 minutes As the public grows more concerned about chemical use, many growers struggle with how to keep their product salable while using fewer pesticides. Some growers are turning to a new kind of ‘undercover operative’ to deal with crop pests. “Biological controls or biocontrol agents attack and ‘neutralize’ or reduce pests in a cropping system and […] Read more
How are biocontrol agents like James Bond?
Beneficial control agents include beneficial bacteria, fungi, nematodes and insects that feed on harmful organisms
Controlling plant pests with biocontrols on your crop
Some biocontrol agents employ very targeted means to deter pests
Reading Time: 2 minutes Competition and antibioses are two of the ways biocontrol agents can help control plant pests. “Producers are familiar with the concept of competition, as in crowding out weeds in a field using row spacing, stand density, etc.,” said Dustin Morton, commercial horticulture specialist, at the Alberta Ag-Info Centre in Stettler. “Biocontrol agents can also be […] Read more
Know the rules before using phosphine fumigants
Products such as Phostoxin, Gastoxin or Weevilcide are highly toxic and there are easier ways to deal with grain beetles
Reading Time: 2 minutes Using fumigants for grain beetle control in stored grain has become more complex, says a provincial crop specialist. “Obtaining the fumigant, whether Phostoxin, Gastoxin or Weevilcide, is only half the job, as requirements for application and record-keeping have changed,” said Harry Brook. “Products containing phosphine are highly toxic and rules have been recently updated to […] Read more
PMRA review calls for slim changes to glyphosate label
A federal re-evaluation of glyphosate’s health risks leaves the popular herbicide’s status unchanged in Canada — but proposes tweaks to the product label as a “risk-reduction” measure. Products containing glyphosate “do not present unacceptable risks to human health or the environment when used according to the proposed label directions,” Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
