¹Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Beaverlodge, AB;  ²AAFC, Lethbridge, AB

Lygus (Hemiptera: Miridae) are unpredictable pests in canola. This stems from their ability to produce multiple generations, having up to six species forming a “complex”, and a wide host plant range combined with highly variable canola growing regions in Canada. The number of generations and synchrony of Lygus adults and nymphs with canola varies across the growing regions of the Canadian prairies. The economic threshold for Lygus in conventional canola is well established for southern Manitoba.  Other areas of the prairies, particularly the northern growing regions, have inherently different growing conditions that are likely to lead to different economic injury levels. This, combined with the advent and widespread adoption of new hybrid canola varieties, suggests that this unpredictable pest deserves new research efforts designed to examine the relationship between Lygus and current canola production systems. Further, a closer investigation of the natural enemies and unique growing conditions that contribute to the “unpredictable” nature of Lygus outbreaks in canola is needed.