Building trust and commercializing tech that fits the reality of farming will be key.
BY DONNA FLEURY
A pest susceptibility primer for common apple cultivars and rootstocks.
BY KRISTY GRIGGMCGUFFIN, OMAFRA
Practical pest management
The sap beetle poses a formidable challenge to strawberry growers in Nova Scotia.
BY SONNY MURRAY, PERENNIA
FROM THE EDITOR
Using tools responsibly
You’ve probably heard the saying, “With great power comes great responsibility.” While none of you have likely been bit by a radioactive spider and developed superpowers to fight crime in New York City, farmers do have access to a highly specialized arsenal of tools to combat the plethora of pests and diseases each season.
But how long will those tools remain effective?
Part of the issue is that pests and diseases are very, very good at overcoming and adapting to resistance – or developing it themselves. Their survival depends on it.
Part of the issue is time and money. There are so many factors to balance in a season, and with rising costs sometimes an additional practice or product for an issue that <i>might</i> be a problem this season gets put on the backburner in favour of an issue that will almost definitely be a problem. There are only so many hours in a day.
But the fact remains that these tools will only remain available – and
also reduce the risk of them adapting to the pesticides used.
Integrated pest management may reduce reliance on chemical pesticides, but in most cases IPM strategies still count on having some form of chemical control available to work in conjunction with the other tools in the toolbox.
The principles of 4R nutrient stewardship – right source @ right rate, right time, right place – can, in general, be applied to pest management, as well. When choosing chemical pesticides, use the:
• Right source: Use a different mode of action from the previous growing season;
• Right rate: Use a high enough concentration of pesticide to provide appropriate coverage for control;
• Right time: Apply chemical pesticides when they will be most effective (both crop stage and time of day); and
• Right place: Make sure the pesticide is getting where it needs to go, whether that’s on the soil, in the soil, or to the plant itself.
These tools will only remain available if they’re used effectively.
viable as control options – if they’re used effectively and responsibly. Crop rotation, using different modes of action in subsequent years or using products with multiple modes of action in the same year, growing certain cover crops, knowing which pests or diseases are present or likely to afflict your fields and planning accordingly, properly calibrating sprayers – these are some of the ways to improve your chances of controlling pests and diseases that
This winter, perhaps consider if there are ways you can better manage pest and disease pressure on your farm. You may be as responsible as you can reasonably be, or you may find a couple additional strategies to enact. Perhaps the best way you can contribute to responsible resistance stewardship is to talk to other farmers at the local coffee shop about the strategies you employ – you might just inspire someone else to do a little better, too.•
MINDFUL OF MITESPOWDERY MILDEW AND MINDFUL OF MITESPOWDERY MILDEW AND
Magister, offering broad spectrum mite control, along with the advantage of control on Powdery Mildew.
Magister, offering broad spectrum mite control, along with the advantage of control on Powdery Mildew.
Ontario Apple Growers elect new leadership
The Ontario Apple Growers (OAG) have elected a new chair and vice-chair. Brian Rideout of Blenheim steps into the chair’s role after serving as vice-chair since 2019; he’s taking over for outgoing chair Cathy McKay of Port Perry. Chris Hedges of Vanessa is the new OAG vice-chair.
Rideout farms in Chatham-Kent with his wife and her family at Manitree Fruit Farms where, along with apples, they grow peaches, nectarines, pears,
cherries, strawberries, tomatoes, melons and squash. His children are the fifth generation on the family farm.
Hedges, a first-generation apple grower, farms with his wife in Norfolk County. He also owns and manages Ontario Orchard Supply, selling orchard supplies to fellow apple growers, and first served as an OAG director from 2005 to 2012 before returning to the board in 2020.
USDA funds MSU-led blueberry rot research
A scientist at Michigan State University has received a $3.95 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture to research blueberry fruit rot. MSU assistant professor Timothy Miles is leading a multi-institutional team of researchers in addressing ways to improve the quality of blueberries while limiting their loss before,
BY THE NUMBERS
during and after harvest. Two of the most common fruit rot diseases that alter the quality and yield of blueberry crops in the U.S. are anthracnose fruit rot (AFR) and botrytis fruit rot (BFR). AFR, also known as “ripe rot,” shows itself by wilting blueberries and producing spore masses that appear as orange speckles. BFR typically occurs in cooler temperatures and
presents as grey mold on blueberries and other crops.
While much is already known about these diseases, Miles said advances in technology and joint action among scientists from across the country will propel current knowledge forward and address stakeholder needs. Along with studying pathogens and ways to manage them, scientists will create
more refined models for pinpointing the ripeness in blueberries to prevent fruit rot from occurring in harvested berries. New imaging technology will also be tested to non-invasively screen blueberries for disease as they are sorted. A website is being designed to make findings and recommendations easily available for educational and outreach purposes.
In 2022, Canada produced: In Ontario alone, there are: main apple varieties Apples accounted for 20.5% of all fresh fruit cash receipts in 2021
380,571 metric tonnes of apples
Grown on 15,580 acres
In 2022, there were 7.76 kg of fresh apples available per person in Canada
National apple sales in 2022: $284.6 million Top five varieties based on planted acreage:
LOTS
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New pest on our doorstep
Spotted lanternfly might not be the “fire and brimstone” pest it’s been painted as, but Canadian growers should be prepared for its arrival all the same.
BY ALEX BARNARD
The impending arrival of the spotted lanternfly (SLF) in Canada has caused a good deal of concern. But is it all doom and gloom?
Brian Walsh, spotted lanternfly researcher with Pennsylvania State University Extension, says that’s not quite the case. Walsh has been part of the boots-on-the-ground management effort for several years, so his advice is tempered by plenty of experience.
In the early 2000s, South Korea’s fruit industry took a lot of damage when SLF arrived on the peninsula as an invasive pest. SLF was discovered in Berks County, Penn., in 2014.
“There was a lot of concern based on reports in South Korea, that it was going to be a massive problem for our forests or trees and our tree fruit and grape production,” Walsh says. “Thankfully a lot of those things haven’t really come to fruition, but, unfortunately, grapes have been heavily impacted by lanternfly.”
SLF are sap-sucking plant hoppers with one
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life cycle per year. They hatch in the spring and go through four instars, becoming adults in Pennsylvania generally in late July. Walsh says that, around the autumn equinox, they start laying eggs, which will overwinter and become the next generation the following spring. The adult SLF will freeze and die.
Anna Turbelin, a postdoctoral research scientist with the Great Lakes Forestry Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., has been conducting research on SLF’s ability to survive in adverse conditions like high winds and sub-zero temperatures. Preliminary results from summer 2023 showed that SLF egg masses could survive at -15 C or lower. So, Canadian winters aren’t likely to assist in controlling this pest.
While SLF are plant hoppers, that doesn’t mean they can’t get around. Walsh says it was an early fallacy that SLF couldn’t fly. He notes that they’re not agile fliers, like dragonflies, but they are able to flit and ride thermals to travel almost half a mile
The spotted lanternfly is an invasive sap-sucking plant hopper discovered in Pennsylvania in 2014. Since then, it has spread through the states north of Pennsylvania and is on Ontario’s doorstep.
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at a time. In addition to being clumsy fliers, SLF are clumsy at landing, often thudding into buildings, vehicles and even some unfortunate people.
“[They’re] definitely something that you take notice of, especially when one lands on your head,” Walsh says. “You quickly learn what they are – there’s not much else like them in the North American environment.”
Wendy McFadden-Smith, tender fruit and grape IPM specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, appreciates the willingness of American colleagues to share what they’ve learned in the near-decade of dealing with SLF, as it’s informing the Canadian strategy and plans for this pest.
“While it hasn’t been fire and brimstone like we originally feared, there are some very significant impacts that can happen if they’re left unchecked, and particularly to grapes – they are voracious feeders,” Walsh says. “They suck the sap out of the plants. They don’t bother the fruit so much, but they have the ability to actually kill grape vines in just a few seasons if they are not stopped. So that’s been a major issue.”
Plant death may take a few seasons, but that’s far from the only concern when it comes to the damage SLF can do.
“They feed on the phloem – the sugar-rich layer in the plant –and they pass a lot of sugars through in their ‘honeydew,’ which is the liquid excrement,” he explains. “Anything that lands on that honeydew becomes a substrate for sooty mold, and sooty mold can actually be just as bad and damaging to the crop, making it unusable.
“But the long-term concern is damage to the plants. We’re still understanding how the larger plants are being impacted. But we know flat-out the grapes are absolutely a concern.”
“Some of the work that’s been done in New York and Pennsylvania has shown that there’s reduced sugar accumulation and reduced coloration – in reds, for example, the anthocyanins,” says McFadden-Smith. “So, even before the lanternfly kills the grapevines, it will have an effect on how the crop matures.”
Walsh does express concern about the lack of insecticide options currently available for Canadian growers for this pest. However, the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) registered a few insecticides for Emergency Use against spotted lanternfly in 2023.
“They’re impacting grapes, but the growers and the researchers here in Pennsylvania responded pretty quickly. I’m not going to say that there’s no impact, but they’re not wiping out full vineyards. We saw one vineyard lost early on and adjustments have been made by other growers to control lanternflies to prevent the absolute catastrophic loss of the vineyard,” he says. “So, it’s a new problem for our grape growers to deal with. But it’s not hopeless.”
Want to learn more about spotted lanternfly and proactive measures you can take?
Here are some resources:
One other crop at risk is maple syrup. “Some of the preliminary studies that we’ve done in Pennsylvania have shown that just a few weeks of adult feeding on smaller trees can reduce sugar content by 40 per cent,” Walsh says. “That’s a massive number when you think about the number of gallons boiled to get to a gallon of syrup. And there’s questions about quality, as well as health of the tree with that loss of sugar.”
There are some cultural control measures growers can take, but physical control options aren’t really feasible for this pest.
McFadden-Smith notes that the Canadian Nursery Association and the Ontario Nursery Association are also concerned about SLF because it can lay its eggs on pots and transport pallets. The nursery industry’s recommendations involve conferring with sources of products coming in from the U.S., conducting major inspections and ensuring the items have been treated if they’re coming from a quarantine area.
Walsh jokes that the SLF must be listening in on discussions about the pest’s behaviour, as researchers have seen shifts in their feeding habits from earlier seasons – the plants they favour can
Penn State Extension: extension.psu.edu/spotted-lanternfly
CFIA (updates on confirmed detections, report a sighting): canada.ca/spotted-lanternfly
Invasive Species Council of B.C.: bcinvasives.ca/invasives/spotted-lanternfly/
OMAFRA: ontario.ca/page/spotted-lanternfly
LEFT
Sticky traps on trees can catch spotted lanternflies as they climb up and down, but the traps also affect other insects, birds, and occasionally people.
change from year to year, as can how they spread. “Either they’re developing their palette, or the host quality has changed. So, it’s kept it interesting and has kept us on our toes.”
In late summer and fall 2023, there were three isolated sightings of SLF in Ontario in Fort Erie, Oakville and Niagara. However, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) found no other SLF near the three sightings and has yet to make any confirmed detections of SLF in Canada. (A detection is defined as a live SLF confirmed by the CFIA in the Canadian environment.)
“We’re trying to make sure everyone is aware and do whatever we can to try to get some tools available for Canadian growers to manage this pest,” McFadden-Smith says.
Stating “it’s not an if, it’s a when” SLF will come to Canada, Walsh encourages growers to get good, current information. “There are a lot of fallacies out there that that have been perpetuated, so get informed. Have a plan. Knowledge can really set your mind at ease if you have realistic expectations of what is probably just a matter of time.”
But Walsh also advises against despair or overreaction.
“Take a deep breath. It’s not good, but it’s not the end of the world. We are so much further along than we were just a few short years ago in understanding some of the stuff about this insect.”•
Tech adoption depends on faith
Building relationships and trust among all of the stakeholders of the innovation value-chain and commercializing technology that really aligns with the reality of farming are key.
BY DONNA FLEURY
Accelerating agriculture technology transfer and adoption and removing barriers and exploiting opportunities are priorities for the ag tech innovation sector. Researchers at Brock University’s Niagara Community Observatory (NCO) recently completed a multi-phase project to understand both the barriers that constrain and the drivers that promote ag tech adoption and the pursuit of globally competitive production systems.
“We recently released the final project policy report, Recommendations for Accelerating the Adoption of Automation and Robotics Technology in Ontario’s Agriculture Sector, which includes key findings and several recommendations,” explains Amy Lemay, NCO Research Fellow and Adjunct Professor in the Environmental Sustainability Research Centre at Brock University. “With funding through the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Canadian Agricultural Partnership, the goal of the two-year study was to determine how to inform future policy around technology adoption and the barriers and drivers to accelerating technology transfer and adoption for automation and robotics. The
study had several phases including surveys, case studies, interviews, focus groups and a literature review with multi-stakeholders such as farmers, researchers, technology developers, manufacturers, intermediaries and government officials from Ontario and across Canada.”
There are three key themes that emerged overall from the analysis of all phases of the project. Several of the themes are across the board and not just in the Ontario region. The first theme is the role of government in adapting and developing new policies and programs for supporting technology adoption. Although the focus of the project was on accelerating the adoption of automation and robotics technology, the findings clearly showed that there needs to be a broader concept of innovation, which shouldn’t be just about insisting farmers adopt the latest in emerging technology. There are many strategies farmers look to for innovation, and they need the choice to adopt
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A prototype of the automated cucumber harvester created by Vineland Research and Innovation Centre.
Pest susceptibility of common apple cultivars and rootstocks
Get a leg up on pest management planning if you’re considering replanting apple orchards.
BY KRISTY GRIGGMCGUFFIN, OMAFRA APPLE IPM SPECIALIST
Pest susceptibility varies among apple cultivars and rootstocks. Understanding, selecting and managing for particular characteristics is an important component to a successful integrated pest management (IPM) program. This information can be used when buying new trees, selecting appropriate planting sites or developing a block design, considering a pest control program including resistance management strategies, as well as for scouting or monitoring. With the recent announcement of the Growing Future Opportunities Initiative, a cost-share program to assist growers in replanting, there will be many considering which rootstock and cultivar options are best for their farm.
Table 1 summarizes some of the more common apple cultivars grown in Ontario. It is by no means an extensive list. While some cultivars have resistance to a number of the major diseases Ontario growers deal with, those growers who sell to retailers will be largely influenced by market acceptability. For example, organic growers or those who have on-farm markets can have a
consumer base for scab-resistant cultivars such as Enterprise, Freedom, Liberty, Prima or Pristine, whereas large-scale retailers would not.
As with every management strategy in an IPM program, use of resistant cultivars is not a stand-alone control. Under high disease pressure, even resistant cultivars can show symptoms. However, incorporating cultural (e.g., orchard sanitation, urea, removal of wild hosts), physical (e.g., pruning) and chemical (e.g., organic, biological or conventional pesticides) controls in disease-resistant plantings will help reduce overall inoculum pressure from these pathogens longterm.
Continue to also monitor and manage other diseases common in Ontario orchards, such as fruit rots, sooty blotch and fly speck. These pests may become an issue if fungicides that normally
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Apple scab is a serious fungal infection, damaging the foliage, blossoms, and fruit. Infected fruit are unmarketable.
