Beneficial bugs protect stored grain

Dec 12, 2022

Intentionally placing bugs in grain and food processing facilities to help manage pests is a tough idea to swallow in Canada, but the practice has been used in Central Europe since the mid-1990s.

Vincent Hervet, an entomologist with Ag Canada in Winnipeg, conducted a literature review on the use of biological controls in stored products including grain, processing facilities and warehouses. He said the practice is already commonplace for many vegetable growers.

“It’s widely used in horticulture, especially in greenhouses. Pretty much all the greenhouses out there use biological control,” he said.

Biological control is the use of living organisms to suppress pest populations and reduce the damage they cause.

“They have issues with aphids, thrips, scale insects and white flies and if they aren’t controlled, they get out of control in the greenhouse,” Hervet said. “So, they need the solution and a lot of people choose biological control solutions.”

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Video: Understanding Nitrogen Loss Through Denitrification

Denitrification is one of the three main pathways for nitrogen loss, but what is it really, and how much nitrogen do we stand to lose?

In this episode, Lyle Cowell is joined by Dr. Erin Daly from the University of Guelph to break down denitrification and the conditions that drive nitrogen loss in the soil. They explore how nitrogen can be lost as nitrous oxide and nitrogen gas, what conditions drive losses and when they are most likely to occur.

Erin also shares how CanN2ONet, a national research network, is helping us better understand nitrous oxide emissions across Canada. From field towers that measure emissions to research into regionally tailored best management practices, discover how the network is working to help growers improve nitrogen use efficiency and help reduce nitrogen losses across the country.