Farmers dealing with aphids and grasshoppers: Crop Pest Update

Aug 16, 2022

Summary

Insects: Insects of greatest concern currently are aphids in small grain cereals and soybeans, and grasshoppers. Insecticides have been applied for soybean aphid in some fields in Eastern and Central Manitoba. High populations of aphids are present in some fields of wheat, oats and barley, with insecticides applications occurring. There has been some spraying for Lygus bugs in canola in the Swan Valley area of the Northwest.

Diseases: Agronomists in the field reported two new diseases for this year: downy mildew in field peas and crown rust in oats. Read further below for the unique conditions that favour these diseases and why they might have appeared at this time in the season.

Weeds: Provincial Weed Survey is wrapping up with almost 700 fields sampled so far. Most fields are relatively clean and crops are in good shape. We are seeing a lot of warm season weeds like foxtails and pigweeds as well as wet season weeds like plantain and yellow dock. Other weeds like wild buckwheat, round-leaved mallow and Canada fleabane seem to be more prevalent this year. We will come back to about 1/4 of the fields at harvest time to sample mature weeds, these will be valuated for herbicide resistance.

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Video: Democratizing Gene Editing - Pairwise’s Vision for the Future of Agriculture

Pairwise has built its business around an idea that runs counter to how many companies approach innovation: make transformative technology easier to access.

In this Seed World interview, CEO Tom Adams discusses why broader access to gene editing could speed crop improvement, expand innovation opportunities and help agriculture address emerging challenges. He explains why Pairwise believes no single company can solve all of agriculture's problems alone—and why making advanced breeding technologies available to more organizations could accelerate progress across the industry.

The conversation explores how consumer trust influences technology adoption, why innovations like pitless cherries and seedless blackberries matter beyond convenience, and how future crop improvements could help address labor shortages, automation, harvest efficiency and other production challenges. Adams also shares his perspective on what the industry may be underestimating about the next wave of gene editing innovation.

Watch the full interview to hear why Pairwise believes agriculture is approaching an important inflection point for gene editing, and why the pace of innovation over the next decade could surprise the industry.

Topics Covered:

o Democratizing agricultural innovation

o Consumer trust and technology adoption

o The business case for sharing innovation

o Expanding innovation beyond major crops

o Next-generation breeding technologies