Fields needed for pea leaf weevil surveys.
‘Every year a team of surveyors sets out to count, sweep net and soil sample to gather information for insect forecasts and population maps in Alberta,’ says Shelley Barkley, insect survey technologist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.
‘First up in the survey season is pea leaf weevil. We visit about 250 pea fields from Warner to south of the Peace River looking for and counting the feeding notches of the adult pea leaf weevil.’
Field visits consist of counting the notches on the nodes of 50 plants in the field. Surveyors wear boot covers, work along the field edge while doing the counts, and park on the approach to the field.
‘Timing for the survey is important as we want the peas to be in the 4 to 6 node stage, and this is where we can use help in building a list of predetermined fields for our survey locations. This gives us the ability to plan our survey routes and be more efficient when we are out doing the surveys. Predetermined fields also allows producers to know who is entering their fields.’
Participation in the surveys will help build the 2022 population map. Producers will also receive the results of the fields visited. With approval from producers, information may also be provided to Alberta Agriculture and Forestry’s pathology program if fields are needed for pea disease surveys.
‘So how can you help? Contact me with the legal land description of your pea field and the municipality you are in,’ says Barkley. ‘You can contact me by sending an email, or a direct message on Twitter.’
Source : alberta