Wheat Head Armyworm a Sporadic, But Insidious Pest

Nov 28, 2022

The wheat head armyworm are a random threat and hard to find in Alberta fields.

An army could be invading your field at this very moment, and you might not even know it.

The wheat head armyworm is a sporadic pest that feeds on cereal grains such as wheat and barley here in Alberta and the rest of the Prairies. While its usually a minor nuisance, it can occasionally cause significant damage to the kernels of a cereal crop which can result in the crop being downgraded when it’s screened at an elevator. In fact, one wheat head armyworm can wipe out the equivalent of an entire head of wheat in a single day.

Part of the challenge for farmers when it comes to dealing with wheat head armyworms is that they can be extremely difficult to spot in a field, says Tyler Wist, a research scientist in field crop entomology for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC).

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Video: Finding a Balance of Innovation and Regulation - Dr. Peter Facchini

Regulations help markets and industry exist on level playing fields, keeping consumers safe and innovation from going too far. However, incredibly strict regulations can stunt innovation and cause entire industries to wither away. Dr. Peter James Facchini brings his perspective on how existing regulations have slowed the advancement of medical developments within Canada. Given the international concern of opium poppy’s illicit potential, Health Canada must abide by this global policy. But with modern technology pushing the development of many pharmaceuticals to being grown via fermentation, is it time to reconsider the rules?

Dr. Peter James Facchini leads research into the metabolic biochemistry in opium poppy at the University of Calgary. For more than 30 years, his work has contributed to the increased availability of benzylisoquinoline alkaloid biosynthetic genes to assist in the creation of morphine for pharmaceutical use. Dr. Facchini completed his B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at the University of Toronto before completing Postdoctoral Fellowships in Biochemistry at the University of Kentucky in 1992 & Université de Montréal in 1995.