Improved Management of Pea Aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) on lentil (Lens culinaris ) and faba bean (Vicia faba) in Saskatchewan

Non-Peer ReviewedIn pulse crops, aphids can result in both direct damage from feeding and indirect damage through transmission of viruses such as Pea Seed-borne Mosaic Virus (PSbMV). This project will develop an economic threshold for pea aphid in lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) and faba bean (Vicia faba). An accurate threshold will allow growers to optimize the timing of pea aphid control, reduce pesticide use, increase profits and will result in overall better Integrated Pest Management. The project will also test the efficiency of three insecticides, Matador (Lambda-cyhalothrin), Voliam Xpress (Lambda-cyhalothrin and chlorantraniliprole) and Exirel (Cyantraniliprole), in controlling pea aphids on Faba bean (CDC Snowdrop) and lentil (CDC Impulse) under field conditions at two locations (Saskatoon Farm site and Llewelyn site). Preliminary results indicate that there is a significant yield loss when aphids are over 300 insects pe r plant on faba bean and 700 aphids per sweep on lentil. Both Matador and Voliam Xpress provide more effective control on pea aphids than Exirel. All are more effective than untreated control