European Corn Borer (ECB; Ostrinia nubilalis) has been an important pest of corn and other crops in eastern Canada for nearly a century now. It is becoming well known that ECB is a generalist feeder, and has a wide range of hosts - including cannabis!
ECB larvae will enter larger stems of the cannabis plant, hollow out the contents, and disrupt the flow of water and sugars to all parts of the plant. These hollowed-out stems lack structural integrity, and will cause top-heavy plants to cave. Larvae that make their way up into smaller stems may result in wilting leaves in the infected area.
For more information on ECB, check out our factsheet.
With a recent confirmation of ECB resistance to Cry1F Bt corn in Nova Scotia, there is an increased need to monitor pest distribution across Canada. The Surveillance Working Group of the Canadian Plant Health Council has developed a harmonized monitoring protocol for ECB. This can be used to report the sightings of eggs, larvae, or any crop damage observed across Canada. It is encouraged that you try the harmonized monitoring protocol and report the data from your production using the free Survey123 app (available for both desktop and mobile devices):
- Early to Mid-Season ECB Survey (Before July) - https://arcg.is/0qCCHH
- Later Season ECB Survey (July to Pre-Harvest) - https://arcg.is/fSODf
You can log your information without creating a profile. A hard copy version is also available.
Why should you care?
Real-time reporting may help estimate the risk of outbreaks in your region, and target the ideal window for scouting and management. At the end of the growing season, maps illustrating the results of the monitoring program will be made available on the 'Great Lakes and Maritimes Pest Monitoring Network', and the 'Prairie Pest Monitoring Network' websites, among others.
Please feel free to contact Tracey Baute (OMAFRA), Meghan Vankosky (AAFC-Saskatchewan), John Gavloski (Manitoba Agriculture and Resource Development), James Tansey (Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture) or Brigitte Duval (MAPAQ) if you have questions about this pilot project.
Posted by: Talia Plaskett