Project Code: APMS/PRR22-020
Project Leads
Meghan Vankosky - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Ian Scott - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Objective
To evaluate various combinations of pest management tactics and develop feasible and economically viable integrated pest management (IPM) systems for root maggots, and facilitate grower adoption of proposed approaches.
Brassica vegetables including leafy green vegetables (i.e., cabbage, broccoli) and root vegetables (i.e., rutabaga, turnip) are important and economically profitable crops in Canada. Damage to these crops from insects impacts their marketability and yield, with root maggots (Delia radicum, D. floralis, D. planipalpis, D. platura, and D. florilega) being the most concerning pests across Canada. Chlorpyrifos applied to transplants at time of seeding or as a mid-season soil drench is the most commonly used option for root maggot control. However, all uses of chlorpyrifos in brassica vegetables are set to be phased out by 2024 and resistance to this pesticide has been reported in cabbage maggot (D. radicum) populations. In spring 2021, stakeholders in Ontario and Saskatchewan jointly submitted a proposal through the Pest Management Centre’s (PMC) Priority Setting Workshop for an IPM project to address sustainable management of Delia root maggots in brassica vegetable crops in light of the loss of a key control tool. This was chosen as the top priority among six submitted proposals and the PMC committed to support a pilot IPM project to meet this need of brassica vegetable growers.
Field trials will be initiated in spring 2022 in Saskatchewan and Ontario to evaluate various combinations of IPM tactics to manage Delia root maggots in select leafy and root brassica vegetable crops. Tactics will be chosen based on local growing conditions, as well as grower experience and feasibility for potential uptake, and will be compared to conventional management practices. Examples of tactics being considered include physical barriers, sterile insect technique, intercropping and crop rotations, and biological controls. In addition to collecting on-farm efficacy data, the economic and environmental benefits (i.e. yield, potential economic return, degree of pesticide use reduction, abundance of beneficial insects) associated with promising IPM approaches will be calculated and compared to conventional standards. The project is expected to develop and facilitate the adoption of IPM systems for Delia root maggots that combine practical and effective alternative tactics that are easy to implement, are cost effective, and provide multiple mechanisms for reducing Delia spp. populations, with reduced reliance on insecticides. Project results will be shared with growers and industry stakeholders through field demonstrations and field days, factsheets, media articles, grower meetings and scientific publications.