Category: Greenhouse Peppers

Creature Feature: Nesi — The Green Bug That’s Not Always Good News

Published on by Julia Dubeau

Authors: Julia Dubeau (Research Assistant, OMAFA), Rose Labbé, PhD (Research Scientist, Greenhouse Entomology, AAFC), and Cara McCreary (Greenhouse Vegetable IPM Specialist, OMAFA)

Meet the Creature

For this Creature Feature, we’re meeting Nesidiocoris tenuis, commonly known as Nesi, green bug, or tomato bug.

Close-up image of a green late-instar Nesi nymph with dark eyes, long antennae, dark leg markings, and developing wing buds

Nesi is a small green mirid bug that has become a concern for Ontario greenhouse vegetable growers – specifically greenhouse tomatoes and greenhouse cucumbers but greenhouse peppers are also a potential host.

At first glance, Nesi might not look too scary. It is small, green, and easy to mistake for something helpful. But this is one of those “don’t judge a bug by its colour” situations — not every green bug in the crop is a good bug!

Nesi is an omnivorous mirid, meaning it can feed on both insects and plant tissue. In some regions around the world, it has been used as a beneficial insect, but in Ontario greenhouse vegetable production it is considered a pest because of the plant damage it can cause.

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What You Can’t See Can Hurt You and Your Bumblebees!

Published on by Fadi Al-Daoud

The Importance of Monitoring Natural UV Light Levels in Your Greenhouse

Authors: Dr. Fadi Al-Daoud1, Sharon Kitur1, and Dr. Caroline Strang2

1 Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA), Harrow, Ontario

2 Department of Biology, Western University, London, Ontario

Summary

Most Ontario greenhouse producers monitor light levels outside and inside their greenhouses to optimize their growing conditions for maximum yield. This article discusses how ultraviolet (UV) light levels inside greenhouses are affected by greenhouse coverings, and how this may impact bumblebees used for pollination of many greenhouse fruit and vegetable crops. It demonstrates how monitoring natural UV light levels inside greenhouses can benefit producers and allow them to make more informed decisions about their production practices.

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Nesi Scouting Sheets

Published on by Cara McCreary
three green mirid bugs on a green tomato leaf and stem

Below you will find scouting sheets to assist with detection of Nesidiocoris tenuis on three different crops.

These PDF’s can be downloaded and used as reference material. They can be printed on legal size paper.

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GrowON presents: How to Use Light Spectral Combinations to Steer Plants

Published on by Fadi Al-Daoud

Exciting new research from Dr. Youbin Zheng (University of Guelph) explores how plants respond to different light spectra and spectral combinations.

This GrowON talk was on July 22nd 1:00-2:30 p.m. EST in-person at Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG) and online.

Learn more about how to apply spectral variations to a diverse set of crops by accessing the recording and presentation files below.

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Effect of Light Abatement Curtains on the Greenhouse Environment

Published on by Fadi Al-Daoud1 Comment

Information on how light abatement curtains can be used and their effect on the greenhouse environment.

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Finding the Right Light Recipe

Published on by Fadi Al-Daoud

Review of recent greenhouse vegetable lighting research at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Harrow Research and Development Centre

Photo: LED inter-lighting in low-wire mini-cucumbers.

Authors: Dr. Fadi Al-Daoud (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs) and Dr. Xiuming Hao (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada)

Table of Contents:

  1. Summary and Conclusions
  2. Introduction
  3. Mini-Cucumbers, Overhead HPS, and LED Inter-lighting
  4. Tomatoes, HPS, and Far-Red Light
  5. Peppers, HPS, LED, and Far-Red Light
  6. Dynamic, Long Photoperiod, Low Intensity Lighting of Tomatoes, Mini-Cucumbers, Peppers, and Microgreens
  7. References

Summary and Conclusions

The market demand for locally-grown fruits and vegetables year-round has driven adoption of lighting technologies for winter food production in greenhouses and vertical farms in Ontario. Here, we review some of the lighting research conducted at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Harrow Research and Development Centre (Harrow, Ontario) over the past several years.

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European corn borer Degree Day report – 12 July 2023

Published on by Cara McCreary

There are three different European corn borer (ECB) areas in southwestern Ontario – a 1-generation (univoltine) area, a 2-generation (bivoltine) area, and an overlap area that has both univoltine and bivoltine populations (Baute, 1999). Degree Days (DD) are heat accumulations using a base temperature (i.e. a minimum temperature required for development). A DD model was validated to predict flight patterns of ECB in southwestern Ontario (Baute, 1999). This model gives us an idea when ECB flight begins, peaks and ends based on moth captures and can be used to guide scouting efforts and management decisions. Below are the estimated accumulated DD for ECB in some regions of southwestern Ontario.

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European corn borer Degree Day report – 25 June 2023

Published on by Cara McCreary

There are three different European corn borer (ECB) areas in southwestern Ontario – a 1-generation (univoltine) area, a 2-generation (bivoltine) area, and an overlap area that has both univoltine and bivoltine populations (Baute, 1999). Degree Days (DD) are heat accumulations using a base temperature (i.e. a minimum temperature required for development). A DD model was validated to predict flight patterns of ECB in southwestern Ontario (Baute, 1999). This model gives us an idea when ECB flight begins, peaks and ends based on moth captures and can be used to guide scouting efforts and management decisions. Below are the estimated accumulated DD for ECB in some regions of southwestern Ontario.

Continue reading “European corn borer Degree Day report – 25 June 2023” →

European corn borer Degree Day report – 14 June 2023

Published on by Cara McCreary

There are three different European corn borer (ECB) areas in southwestern Ontario – a 1-generation (univoltine) area, a 2-generation (bivoltine) area, and an overlap area that has both univoltine and bivoltine populations (Baute, 1999). Degree Days (DD) are heat accumulations using a base temperature (i.e. a minimum temperature required for development). A DD model was validated to predict flight patterns of ECB in southwestern Ontario (Baute, 1999). This model gives us an idea when ECB flight begins, peaks and ends based on moth captures and can be used to guide scouting efforts and management decisions. Below are the estimated accumulated DD for ECB in some regions of southwestern Ontario.

Continue reading “European corn borer Degree Day report – 14 June 2023” →