wireworm control

60 Pages·2014·7.45 MB·English

FALL 2014
WIREWORM CONTROL
IS BIFENTHRIN THE ANSWER?
Best Practices for
Minimizing Bruising
FIELD
DAYS
Researchers Showcase Plot
Trials Across the Country
THE BENEFITS OF BRANDING
AEROPONIC PRODUCTION
A NEW WAY TO GROW POTATOES
Variable Rate Irrigation
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SpudSmart.indd 1 14-09-23 11:34 AM
contents
spudsmart.com
your online potato business resource
fall 2014
Features
04 WIREWORM CONTROL
The elusive Silver Bullet.
06 A NEW WAY TO GROW
Could aeroponic seed potato production be the way of
the future?
12 POTATO SHOWPLACE
A look inside the Canadian Potato Museum in O’Leary, P.E.I.
18 MAKING A NAME
How potato-based businesses can benefit from branding.
22 NUTRITION IN A COMPACT PACKAGE
Ontario researchers studying health benefits of pigmented
potatoes, and how to promote them.
24 A CHANGE OF SCENERY 12
Airport hosts Potato Growers of Alberta South Field Day.
26 A BUG’S LIFE
Looking back at the colourful past of Colorado Potato Beetle.
Plus
36 EYE ON THE NATION
Potato news from across the country.
06
Departments
02 FROM OUR DESK
The benefits of field days.
26
WIREWORM CONTRFAOLL 2L014 32 ROUNDTABLE
IS BIFENTHRIN THE ANSWER?
MiBniemstiz Pinragc Btircueiss ifnogr Best practices for minimizing bruising.
FIELD
34 IN THE FIELD: BED PLANTING UPDATE
DAYS
Recent study illustrates benefits of using this
THReEs TBerEaiaNrlcsEh FAeIcTrsrSo S OshsFo tBwhRec AaCsNoeuD nPINtlroGyt alternative to ridged row planting.
A NAEWER WOPAYO TNOI CG RPORWO DPUOTCATTIOOENS
Publications Mail Agreement #40030841 Variable Rate ISrPrUiDgSMaAtRiTo.COnM 4 4 ATsUsBesEsRin gT vAarLiaKb lWe rIaTteH ir rLigUaKtioIEn. PIETERSE
On the Cover: Kayly 48 MARKET NEWS
Letkeman of Gaia Canadian crop production figures for 2014.
Consulting collecting
petiole samples for a 50 WORLD REVIEW
nitrogen management
News and insights from around the globe.
plot test at the
Canada-Manitoba Crop
52 AT THE ROOT
Diversification Centre, 34
which held a field trial Breaking industry news.
tour for growers at its
Carberry, Man., site in 56 GROWER SPOTLIGHT
August. Alberta’s Windiana Farms
FALL 2014 1
FROMOURDESK
The Benefits of Field Days
Fall 2014 —Vol. 11, No. 4
By Mark Halsall
Spud Smart is a resource for Canadian potato producers, and is
dedicated to the promotion of innovation, sustainable success
FIELD DAYS. Most potato-producing regions of the country saw and grower profitability.
at least one of these this past summer, providing growers with the Subscriptions
Canada CDN$45.00/year plus GST
opportunity to learn about new varieties and agronomic practices,
International CDN$95.00/year
check out the latest farm equipment and technologies, and network
Issues Ink
with their peers and industry types.
6327435 Canada Ltd.
And perhaps even as importantly, relax a little bit. 403-313 Pacific Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3A 0M2
Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone]
Peter VanderZaag, who was MC at the 2014 Ontario Field Day e-mail: [email protected]
in Alliston, Ont. in August, will tell you one reason growers enjoy spudsmart.com
going to field days is to get a bit of a break in their busy summer. Publisher
“We’re focused on the grindstone, and then we sort of get a Shawn Brook [email protected]
chance to say, ‘Hey, how are you guys doing, how are things going?’” Editor
says VanderZaag. Mark Halsall [email protected]
He feels field days are typically more relaxed that the off-season Editorial
Julie Deering, Lindsay Hoffman,
potato trade shows and conferences, and that for growers, connecting
Shannon Schindle, Marc Zienkiewicz
outdoors at a field day is a great way to catch up with their friends
Editorial Advisor
and neighbours.
Lukie Pieterse
“You’re out walking around looking at all this new equipment,
Editorial Advisory Board
and there’s more farm talk in a relaxed kind of atmosphere…. Plus Khalil Al-Mughrabi
there’s always good food,” he laughs. PhD; Pathologist, Potato Development Centre, New Brunswick Department
of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries
The potato community is small, and in many respects a family. Benoit Bizimungu
PhD; Scientist/Breeder, Potato Research Centre
VanderZaag says for him, the highlight of this year’s Ontario Field Robert C. (Bob) Hamilton
Day was when everyone gathered to congratulate his uncle, retired Product Manager, Potatoes & Vegetables, Engage Agro
Jason Kehler
grower Harry Jacob VanderZaag, on his 90th birthday. Owner/Manager, Kehler Farms Ltd.
Keith Kuhl
“His kids and his grandkids were there, and everybody Chairman, Canadian Potato Council
sang Happy Birthday to him,” he says. “Everybody all thought Bill Moons
Territory Sales Manager—Horticulture, Bayer CropScience
it was great.” Rick D. Peters
PhD; Research Scientist, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Janet Porchak
MBA; National Marketing Manager, UAP Canada
SPUD SMART staff and correspondents visited a number field day PhD; Director, ReseTarracchy & S Qhuianlintye Ersnh-Canacrenmeellnety, P eak of the Market
events across the country this past summer. Bert Tupling
Owner/Shareholder, Tupling Farms Ltd.
Contributor Lorena Pahl attended the Potato Growers of Alberta Peter VanderZaag
PhD; Owner, Sunrise Potato
South Field Day held in Taber, Alta. in August — her report can be
Hubert Zandstra
found on page 24. PhD; Director General Emeritus, International Potato Center
At the University of Guelph’s Potato Research Field Day in Marketing
August, we spoke to a couple of Ontario research scientists who [email protected]
Craig Armstrong, Brenda Ezinicki, Maegan Marriott,
delivered presentations on the important topic of potato nutrition. Sam Mostafa, Hiten Shah
That article is on page 22.
Art and Production
I was fortunate enough to attend a field day event myself. At Kyle Dratowany, Theresa Kurjewicz, Caleb MacDonald,
Vince Mendella, Lesley Nakonechny
the Potato Field Trial Tour hosted by the Canada-Manitoba Crop
Diversification Centre in Carberry, Man., in August, I was able to see Circulation
Dean French, Brad Gordon
and hear about innovative research work in such areas as nitrogen
management and variable rate irrigation (VRI). Spud Smart makes no expressed or implied warranties of
merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or otherwise,
Tuber Talk on page 44 includes insights on VRI from agronomist concerning the use of any product and assumes no liability for any
injury or damage, direct or consequential, incurred from the use of
Alison Nelson, whom I met at the field day. Kayly Letkeman was one
such products or services therein. Federal, Provincial, and Municipal
of those hard at work in one of the nitrogen management test plots laws and regulations supersede the information contained herein.
when I was out there that day — and her smile graces the cover of Publications Mail Agreement No. 40030841.
this issue of Spud Smart. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:
Issues Ink
403-313 Pacific Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3A 0M2
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2 SPUDSMART.COM
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FEATURE
Controlling
WIREWORMS
AAss tthhee ssiittuuaattiioonn wwoorrsseennss iinn ppoottaattoo fifieellddss iinn PPrriinnccee EEddwwaarrdd
IIssllaanndd aanndd ootthheerr aarreeaass ooff CCaannaaddaa,, tthhee sseeaarrcchh iiss iinntteennssiiffyyiinngg
ffoorr aa cchheemmiiccaall rreeppllaacceemmeenntt ffoorr TThhiimmeett.. IIss bbiiffeenntthhrriinn,, tthhee
aaaaccccttttiiiivvvveeee iiiinnnnggggrrrreeeeddddiiiieeeennnntttt iiiinnnn rrrreeeecccceeeennnnttttllllyyyy rrrreeeeggggiiiisssstttteeeerrrreeeedddd ppppeeeessssttttiiiicccciiiiddddeeee
Capture, the answer?
WITH WIREWORMS on the rise in Canada pprroodduuccttss aanndd tthheeyy aarree
— and the main weapon against them soon tthheerreeffoorree bbeeiinngg wwiitthhddrraawwnn
to be taken off the market — it’s a question ffrroomm rreeggiissttrraattiioonn.. TThhee
that’s top of mind for many potato producers ssttrraatteeggyy ddeevveellooppeedd ffoorr
these days. wwiirreewwoorrmm rriisskk rreedduuccttiioonn
Is there another silver bullet out there iiss tthhuuss cceenntteerreedd oonn tthhee
that will take the place of Thimet? nneeeedd ttoo ffiinndd lloowweerr rriisskk
Wireworms are thin, hard-bodied larvae rreeppllaacceemmeenntt ppeesstt ccoonnttrrooll
of the click beetle that feed on the roots of ppprrroooddduuuccctttsss aaannnddd ppprrraaaccctttiiiccceeesss fffooorrr
cereals and other crops including potatoes. ttthhheee cccooonnntttrrrooolll ooofff wwwiiirrreeewwwooorrrmmm iiinnn
In recent years, Thimet 15G has been the CCaannaaddiiaann aaggrriiccuullttuurree..””
insecticide of choice for potato growers UUUnnndddeeerrr ttthhheee ssstttrrraaattteeegggyyy,,, rrreeessseeeaaarrrccchhheeerrrsss
fighting to control this voracious pest in hhhhaaaavvvveeee bbbbeeeeeeeennnn iiiinnnnvvvveeeessssttttiiiiggggaaaattttiiiinnnngggg nnnneeeewwww ooooppppttttiiiioooonnnnssss ffffoooorrrr
the hardest-hit areas of the country, such as wwwiiirrreeewwwooorrrmmm cccooonnntttrrrooolll,,, wwwhhhiiiccchhh iiinnncccllluuudddeee nnnuuummmeeerrrooouuusss
Prince Edward Island where producers have iiinnniiitttiiiaaatttiiivvveeesss iiinnnvvvooolllvvviiinnnggg dddiiiffffffeeerrreeennnttt cccooommmbbbiiinnnaaatttiiiooonnnsss
been plagued by wireworms for years and ooff ccrroopp rroottaattiioonnss aass wweellll aass iinnsseeccttiicciiddee
the problem continues to worsen. efficacy studies.
Tuber containing mature larvae
However, Canada’s regulators are Many in the industry have held out
of the Pacific Coast wireworm,
phasing out Thimet as a result of environ- hope that fipronil, a successful weapon Limonius canus.
mental concerns, and the organophospate against wireworms in potatoes in the United
insecticide will no longer be available for use States, could be the silver bullet to replace
on potatoes as of Aug. 1, 2015. Thimet and provide effective, long-lasting tthheeiirr ssttrraatteeggiieess iinnvvoollvveedd ccoommbbiinniinngg vveerryy
This move is part of the National control of the pest in Canada. low amounts of fipronil with low amounts
Pesticide Risk Reduction Strategy Fipronil, however, isn’t registered in of an neonicotinoid insecticide, creating
for Wireworm, devised by Agriculture this country, and it’s up to the chemical an effective treatment for wireworms in
and Agri-Food Canada along with industry to decide to pursue registration cereal crops.
Health Canada’s Pest Management of the product for use on potatoes in “It (fipronil) was a perfect fit for
Regulatory Agency. Canada. That hasn’t happened yet and wireworm control in Canada,” says Vernon,
The AAFC’s webpage outlining the isn’t likely to anytime soon, according to adding that the low dosage of fipronil used
strategy states: “Traditionally, wireworms Bob Vernon, who leads an AAFC national in his wireworm treatment — less than one
have been controlled using organophosphate wireworm research project. gram of fipronil per acre — would result
insecticides. There is significant risk Vernon says a top priority for his team in a much lower environment impact than
associated with the use of organophosphate is finding a replacement for Thimet. One of Thimet, for example.
4 SPUDSMART.COM
New Product on Market
There may be hope on the horizon,
however. The industry is welcoming a new
weapon against wireworm this year with
the introduction of Capture. Registered by
FMC for controlling wireworm in potatoes
and raspberries this past May, the new k.
er
insecticide features a synthetic pyrethoid H
n
known as bifenthrin as its active ingredient. va
m
“Bifenthrin does not degrade in light Wi
or soil like regular pyrethoids and will give of
the growing season control of wireworm sy
e
damage,” says McMillan, FMC’s business urt
o
manager for Eastern Canada. c
s
McMillan says the company’s bifenthrin o
ot
product is known as Brigade in the United ph
States, and that it’s has been used extensively All
for many years to control wireworm damage Mature larvae of the Hypnoidus bicolor (top) and Selatosomus destructor, the two
in potatoes south of the border. However, most important wireworm pests in the Prairie provinces.
he sounds a cautionary note for Canadian
growers hoping for a silver bullet.
“It’s not the silver bullet that’s going
ttoo eelliimmiinnaattee tthhee wwiirreewwoorrmm iissssuuee,,”” hhee ssaayyss.. works quite well. Because the product whether wireworms are actually killed by
““WWiirreewwoorrmmss aarree ssttiillll ggooiinngg ttoo bbee aann iissssuuee.. in not systemic, he adds, the best results Capture, or if they are just being repelled or
BBuutt CCaappttuurree cceerrttaaiinnllyy pprroovviiddeess aa pprrootteeccttiivvee were produced when Capture was used suppressed by the chemical.
zzoonnee lliikkee TThhiimmeett ttoo hheellpp pprrootteecctt tthhee ttuubbeerrss in combination with a neonicotinoid Vernon says the fact that some grow-
aaggaaiinnsstt wwiirreewwoorrmm aattttaacckk..”” insecticide like Titan or Admire to provide ers have been able to trial Capture on their
MMccMMiillllaann mmaaiinnttaaiinnss CCaappttuurree ssttuuddiieess above-ground protection against pests like own farms this year will go a long way to-
ccoonndduucctteedd iinn CCaannaaddaa oovveerr tthhee ppaasstt Colorado potato beetle. wards determining the product’s efficacy
ffeeww yyeeaarrss hhaavvee ccoonncclluuddeedd tthhee pprroodduucctt on a large scale.
“Wireworm
ccoommppaarreess ffaavvoorraabbllyy ttoo TThhiimmeett iinn ccoonnttrroolllliinngg “I’m somewhat optimistic about
wwiirreewwoorrmm ddaammaaggee.. populations right bifenthrin, but I’m a little worried that we’re
He says growers in Prince Edward going to be taking one product off the market
across Canada
Island have used Capture on potato fields and simply replacing it with another, leaving
this summer for the first time and they will are growing and farmers with just one chemical,” he says. “It
be able to evaluate for themselves how the would be great to have two products that
in some areas
pesticide stacks up against Thimet. McMillan you can use to combat this pest in terms of
says his preliminary observations during a resistance and that sort of thing.”
they are reaching
recent visit to Prince Edward Island looked Vernon also stresses the urgency of
very promising, indicating that Capture epidemic levels. having a proven alternative to Thimet
would likely give the same tuber protection in place and readily available for potato
And if we don’t have
from wireworm that Thimet does. producers — before Thimet is taken off the
Tracy Shinners-Carnelley, research and something that will market next summer.
quality enhancement director for Manitoba’s “Our farmers have to have something
control them, then
Peak of the Market, says with the clock is that gives them exceptional control,
ticking down on Thimet, growers are eager we’re in big trouble.” especially in Prince Edward Island where
for any good news related to alternative wireworm pressure is extremely high and
wireworm treatments. getting higher,” he says.
Bob Vernon
“There is certainly interest to try “This is also happening on the Prairies
bifenthrin on a field scale at the farm level “Bifenthrin, along with a neonicotinoid, — wireworm populations right across
to get a good sense of how it really does appears to give the same level of crop Canada are growing and in some areas they
compare to Thimet,” she says. protection in general as Thimet does,” are reaching epidemic levels. And if we
Vernon and his team have assessed says Vernon. He stresses, however, that don’t have something that will control them,
the efficacy of the new insecticide in plot additional field studies and continued then we’re in big trouble.”
Mark Halsall
trials and he says in trial work, bifenthrin research are required to adequately assess
FALL 2014 5
FEATURE

A NEW WAY TO
GROW
Could aeroponic seed potato production be
the way of the future in Canada? Researchers
are working to figure that out.
CANADIAN RESEARCHERS are experi- produce 10 times more seed potatoes than
menting with a new method of growing traditional greenhouse methods would
seed potatoes, and the results look prom- serve to make Canada more competitive in
ising. Scientists at the Alberta Agriculture the seed potato market.
and Rural Development Crop Diversifica- “I think there’s a lot of potential for
tion Centre say aeroponic potato produc- aeroponics in Canada, because we need to
tion — which essentially involves growing increase our productivity. We’ve got our
potatoes in air, rather than soil — has the cost of production as low as we can go with
potential to revolutionize how seed pota- the methods we’re using now, and we’re
toes are grown in Canada. not keeping pace with import material,”
Potato research scientist Michele she says. “We need to make sure we have a
Konschuh, based in Brooks, Alta., is value chain here that’s healthy and strong,
leading the evaluation of a commercial and everyone in the value chain has to be
aeroponic production system for seed able to make a profit. We feel this might be
potatoes. The technology being studied a way to do it.”
is the Vital Farms Potato Incubator PIP-
Playing Catch-Up
200, an aeroponic seed potato production
system from NorthBright Technologies in Canada is a late arrival on the aeroponic
Chicago designed to optimize the yield and potato production scene, notes Canadian
quality of seed potato mini-tubers. potato grower Peter VanderZaag of
The potatoes — Konschuh and her Ontario’s Sunrise Potato Storage.
team are harvesting their fourth round of VanderZaag serves on the board of trustees
tubers from their greenhouse —are grown of the International Potato Center (CIP),
suspended in air and fed through misting. whose mission is to work with global
She hopes the technology will allow partners to achieve food security, well-
researchers to grow significantly more seed being, and gender equity in root and
potatoes per plant than is currently possible tuber farming and food systems in the
using traditional greenhouse methods. developing world.
“In a regular greenhouse, we get an VanderZaag used to work as a CIP
average of one to five tubers per plant scientist and university professor in Asia.
in potting mix. In the aeroponic system, One of his former graduate students,
we’re aiming to get 10 times more than He Wei, led a Chinese project that used
that,” she says. “Right now, I think 10 to aeroponic technology to grow mini-tubers
20 is realistic here. We’ve seen as high as after a devastating earthquake in China’s
17 tubers per plant on some of the varieties Sichuan province in 2008.
we’ve grown.” VanderZaag says after earthquake,
That’s significant, Konschuh says, there was an impetus to implement
noting that the ability to use aeroponics to aeroponic potato production on a large
6 SPUDSMART.COM
aeroponically in the 1990s. It’s been used
in Vietnam as well. “NASA, back in the
1980s, wanted to have people living on
Mars and the moon. Their research focused
on how can we get plants to grow in air,”
VanderZaag says. “This translated into
many scientists thinking about how they
could apply this to growing plants here
on Earth, where we have to deal with
pathogens which are detrimental to many
crops, including potatoes.”
It’s not just the elimination of
pathogens that makes aeroponics ideal for
potato growing, Konschuh notes. “Because
aeroponics actually allows us to harvest
above ground and not below ground, you
can actually see the tubers form, and you
can pick them when they’re the right size.
If they’re buried in potting mix, you kind
g.
a of have to take your chances until the end
a
Z
er of the year, and if you go rooting around
d
n in there ahead of time, you’re likely to
a
V
er damage roots or the plant,” she says. “The
et main objective of aeroponics, in my view,
P
of isn’t so much to avoid using soil, but to try
y
s and get tubers of exactly the right size and
e
urt a continuous harvest.”
o
c
o
ot Consistent Product
h
P
Using aeroponics to produce tubers of the
Aeroponically grown seed potatoes being harvested at the Sichuan Academy of Agricultural
same size is the reason many growers
Sciences in Chengdu, China.
around the world are adopting this new
technology. Konschuh and her team have
scale — the World Bank gave funding “This has been an amazing story, received helpful advice on using the
to Chinese authorities and CIP to begin where this start money to get this onto a PIP-200 from Hilko Bos, a Dutch grower
large-scale research production of potatoes commercial scale has taken off. In Sichuan, who helped develop the technology.
aeroponically to help those who had lost this is done on a huge scale, producing basic He began using aeroponics after tiring
everything in the earthquake. seed through aeroponics,” VanderZaag says. of what he says was the inconsistent
That research continues to be carried “The beauty is there are no diseases that can quality he was getting in seed tubers
out at the Sichuan Academy of Agricultural be carried by the seed tubers from generation purchased from premium seed potato
Sciences as well as by farmers in private to generation. There’s no bacteria or other producers in the Netherlands.
greenhouses in China, and it has yielded pathogens that can infect the tubers. When “We were often disappointed with
some impressive results. A research paper you grow them in soil that’s a problem, but the seed tubers we bought. We wanted to
co-authored by VanderZaag, He Wei and with aeroponics it isn’t. You can control the have healthy seed potatoes and reduce the
K.Y. Xie, Experience with aeroponics for pre- conditions perfectly. With misting, you get a number of field generations. Therefore,
basic seed potato production in Sichuan, China, very high yield.” we produce mini-tubers in the greenhouse
refers to tuber production as high as 75 Prior to its use in China, growers in and afterwards we only have three field
tubers per plant, depending on the variety. South Korea began growing mini-tubers generations so diseases will not build up,”
Bos says. It’s also economical, he adds.
“Here in the Netherlands, it’s about 45
“I think there’s a lot of potential for aeroponics
Eurocents (almost 70 cents in Canadian
in Canada, because we need to increase our currency) per seed potato if you buy from
a large producer. If you need a couple
productivity. We’ve got our cost of production hundred thousand mini-tubers, you have
to spend about 70,000 euros per year for
as low as we can go with the methods we’re
them all. We started to look at different
using now.” ways we could do it by ourselves.”
Bos has had success with the PIP-
Michele Konschuh 100 (an earlier version of the PIP-200),
FALL 2014 7
“The beauty is there are no diseases that
can be carried by the seed tubers from
generation to generation. There’s no bacteria
or other pathogens that can infect the tubers.
When you grow them in soil that’s a problem,
but with aeroponics it isn’t.”
Peter VanderZaag
hitting yield levels of more than 40 tubers has discovered that for herself. “We have
per plant. Those yield levels are due in different growing conditions in Canada,
part to the ideal climate that exists in the and we don’t grow the same varieties
Netherlands and some of the specific they do there, so I’m not sure the levels
varieties Bos grows, but a lot of hard work they’re seeing in the Netherlands are
and trial and error has gone into it, as well. attainable here,” she says.
“In the beginning we had to learn “We’re finding that in the
about proper nutrition, moisture, all greenhouse, you need to know more
those factors,” he says. “You have to about what you’re doing without
have some knowledge about that to get Mother Nature helping you as much.
a decent yield. There are always possible You don’t get air exchange with wind.
improvements you can make. We’re very We’re finding that maybe we need to
happy with how it is going right now.” supplement the CO2 in the greenhouse,
Canada and the Netherlands are, of or bring in fresh air in the winter since
course, half a world apart. What works we’re not venting to the outside like we
for growers in Europe is not necessarily would in a field setting. It’s a learning
going to work in Canada, and Konschuh process, that’s for sure.”
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