Insect Scouting Focus For Saskatchewan

Jun 30, 2020

The latest edition of the Prairie Pest Monitoring Network Newsletter is out and time to add a few more insects to your scouting list.

In Saskatchewan, diamondback moth catches seem to have slowed down in some areas with hotspots still remaining around Indian Head and Cadillac.

Bertha Armyworm model simulations indicate the first occurrence of larvae could begin later this week in the Saskatoon area.

As for grasshopper development its mainly in the first instar in the Saskatoon area, and in the second instar in the Regina and Swift Current areas.

Adult wheat midge are expected to start emerging this week in the Saskatoon area with peak numbers expected to hit in mid-July.

Producers should also be watching for wheat midge as the wheat heads start emerging in the field, and simulation models show pea leaf larval numbers continue to increase in the Swift Current area as eggs continue to hatch.

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Video: Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes | Field Talk Friday

Field Talk Friday | Dr. John Murphy | Root Exudates, Soil Biology, and How Plants Recruit Microbes

Most of us spend our time managing what we can see above ground—plant height, leaf color, stand counts, and yield potential. But the deeper you dig into agronomy, the more you realize that some of the most important processes driving crop performance are happening just millimeters below the surface.

In this episode of Field Talk Friday, Dr. John Murphy continues the soil biology series by diving into one of the most fascinating topics in modern agronomy: root exudates and the role they play in shaping the microbial world around plant roots.

Roots are not passive structures simply pulling nutrients out of the soil. They are active participants in the underground ecosystem. Plants constantly release compounds into the soil—sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other molecules—that act as both energy sources and signals for soil microbes.