New resources help growers stay ahead of insecticide resistance

 

Ottawa, ON – Growers can get ahead of insecticide resistance with the help of new resources on ManageResistanceNow.ca. The website, which compiles the most up-to-date knowledge on pesticide resistance in Canadian agriculture, now includes best practices for managing insecticide resistance.

 

“More than one-third of Canadian growers are concerned about the rise of insecticide resistance in the next few years,” says Pierre Petelle, president and CEO of CropLife Canada. “It’s critical to adopt best practices to manage resistance, both to protect crop yield today and to ensure sustainable production for the future.”

 

Insecticide resistance is not as common as herbicide resistance in weeds but with that comes a unique set of challenges. For example, because many Canadian growers have yet to see evidence of insecticide resistance in their fields, they may not appreciate the need to manage for the problem now. The new resources highlight the need for proactivity and encourage growers to use a combination of physical, cultural, biological and chemical control measures to keep ahead of the issue.

 

“Manage Resistance Now is an important tool in the fight against resistance. By sharing the best available information, we can work collectively to help prevent or delay the development of resistance,” says Petelle.

 

ManageResistanceNow.ca was launched in November 2018 by CropLife Canada in an effort to consolidate and communicate current research on weed, disease, and insect resistance issues. The website features comprehensive fact sheets, videos, quizzes, and case studies of growers and agronomists who share their experience dealing with pesticide resistance firsthand. The latest updates to the website build on the already-released herbicide and fungicide resistance resources for growers and agronomists.

Video: Seed Storage: Protecting Quality from Harvest to Planting

Protecting seed quality starts in the field and continues through storage until planting — that was the focus of the Spud Smart–NAPSO webinar with Leroy Salazar, Amanda Wakasugi and Bill Crowder. Speakers stressed that vine kill timing, harvest conditions (soil moisture, pulp temperature), and minimizing mechanical damage set the stage for successful storage; modern buildings, calibrated sensors, VFD-controlled airflow,

rapid field-heat removal, and tight temperature uniformity then preserve seed quality. Ongoing monitoring for hot spots, condensation and early issues, plus sanitation and variety-specific handling, keep losses low and seed viable for shipping or cutting.