QUIZ – A worm, a bug and a patch

jwhetter

Three questions on pests found this week in canola fields. Check out the answers for details on counting worms, the pest of the week and weed escapes.

1.

What is this worm, found this week in a northern Alberta canola field?

alfalfa looper

(Photo credit: Belinda DeSmet, Dirt Road Agronomy)

2. Two weeks after weed spraying, agronomists and farmers may want to check fields to assess the level of control. There are many potential reasons why weeds may still be present two weeks after spray. What is the likely reason in this scenario: the patch includes many species of weeds and has a shape with distinct borders. 
3. Here are a few of the many comments from the Canola Watch network this week: 
  • “Crazy populations” 
  • “Anywhere from 25 to 200 per 10 sweeps” 
  • “Very, very high levels” 
  • “Two to four times the economic threshold as canola is going into flower”
What one pest are they talking about?