Introducing Ontario’s Crop Protection Hub – Your One Stop Shop for Pesticide Information for Greenhouse Crops

Are you a Canadian floriculture grower Planning your IPM program for Spring crops soon? Then look no further! Ontario’s new Crop Protection Hub combines pesticide data from a plethora of sources and combines them into one convenient location.

Types of data (for both chemical and microbial insecticides/fungicides) include:

Allowable pesticides by crop type (e.g. cut flowers, potted crops, unrooted cuttings)
Rates, REIs, and maximum allowable sprays per crop
Compatibility information with beneficial organisms
Efficacy ratings of pest management products for specific greenhouse pests
Recommendations for best use of products for each pest
Link to the most current pesticide label

Keep reading to find out how to access this new application.

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New Tool to Fight Mites and Bemisia Whitefly in Greenhouse Floriculture: Magister SC

As growers are continuously battling new pests, as well as old nemeses, any new tool is a welcome addition in the pesticide toolbox.

The Pest Management Regulatory Agency recently registered an interesting new product: Magister SC (fenazaquin), which is a miticide, insecticide AND a fungicide!

Although registered against powdery mildew in some crops, only the miticide/insecticide use pattern is allowed in greenhouse ornamentals. More information on this product is available below.

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New Chemical Control Option for Thrips and Whitefly

Thrips-tabaci-female-1-1024x683 A new pesticide is available for greenhouse ornamental production in Canada that has shown potential for effective suppression of difficult-to-control thrips and whitefly species.

But to keep this new tool effective, growers will have to use this chemical wisely. Keep reading for efficacy data on ornamental crops and best management practices for incorporating this chemical into your IPM toolbox.

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Which Pesticides are Effective for Whitefly?

Bemisia 4_SJ — Whitefly – especially *Bemisa* whitefly – are STILL one of the hardest insects to control with pesticides in the greenhouse industry,

Efficacy trials are key to keeping growers informed about which chemicals currently work and which don’t for Bemisia whitefly.

Entomologists at the University of Maryland and Delaware recently did such a study, and included newer pesticide registrations. If you missed the article in the July issue of Grower Talks magazine, keep reading for the link to their results and a Canadian take on the study.

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The New Era of Pesticides in Canada: Cancellations, Re-evaluations, and New Products

pesticide pic — Changes will soon be coming to some of the chemical products you rely on most.

It seems there is never a dull moment in the greenhouse ornamental industry these days. From transitions to new crops, new export requirements, to novel pest problems, the industry has seen a lot of change….and it’s not over yet.

The industry is also going to be facing changes regarding some commonly used chemical products. Here is the latest on potential revisions to the list of chemical tools we have access to in Canadian floriculture.

This is guest post was written by Cary Gates, Pest Management Director at Flowers Canada Growers.

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Two new fungicide registrations!

That’s right! As of today, flower growers have 2 new weapons against fungal diseases at their disposal. Heritage MAXX (azoxystrobin) and Medallion (fludioxonil) are now registered for use in outdoor and greenhouse ornamentals.

Pythium_NG impatiens4_SJ — **Impatiens showing signs of nutritional deficiency due to *Pythium* root rot infection. Heritage MAXX is now available for *Pythium* control in greenhouse ornamentals.**

Heritage (a Group 11 fungicide) is a systemic fungicide, and is appropriate for control of Pythium, Grey mould (aka Botrytis blight) and Rhizoctonia. It can also be used for foliar diseases such as Powdery Mildew, Downy mildew, Rust, Anthracnose and Alternaria Leaf Spots. You can find the new label here: HeritageLABEL2016.

Medallion (a Group 12 fungicide) is a contact fungicide, and is appropriate for control of root rots such as Fusarium, Rhizoctonia, and Black Root Rot (Thielaviopsis) when applied as a drench. It can be applied foliarly for Grey Mould, Anthracnose Leaf Spot and Rhizoctonia Stem Rot. MedallionLABEL2016.

Alternaria on impatiens — Medallion fungicide is now available to Canadian ornamental growers to help control diseases like Alternaria leaf spot (shown here on impatiens).

Both are broad-spectrum fungicides that can be used curatively or prophylactically.

As with any chemical control product, make sure to read and follow the label carefully prior to use.

(Also, 1000 points each to the team that helped push these label expansions forward:Cary Gates, Flowers Canada; Jim Chaput, OMAFRA; Jennifer Llewellyn, OMAFRA and Graeme Murphy, formerly of OMAFRA).