Army worm poop deceives corn plants Monday, December 7, 2015 Chemical ecologists at Pennsylvania State University have determined that "frass," the defecations of herbivorous caterpillars that collects in the whorls of corn leaves, tricks plants into thinking they are being attacked by a fungus infection. The plants mount a defence against such, thereby reducing their defences against the actual creatures that are attacking them. They can't defend against both fungus and insects at the same time, says Dawn Luthe, professor of plant stress biology in a Penn State newsletter published in September.The newsletter notes that fall army worms "are voracious feeders on leaves in the confined whorls of corn plants."The study was published in the Journal of Chemical Ecology and may lead to the isolation of specific components of the frass that can be incorporated into a compound that can be spread on crops to increase resistance to fungal attacks. That would be an "ecologically sustainable" pesticide. An alternative is a genetic modification to incorporate proteins from the frass to boost a crop's "native resistance" to pathogens.Scientists are still trying to find a solution to dealing with those hungry army caterpillars. The faking frass is an ecological strategy "that has been perfected over thousands of years of evolution," says lead researcher Swayamjit Ray, a doctoral student at Penn State. The U.S. Department of Agriculture financed the research. BF Noise over GMO labelling in the United States Cotton underwear helps measure soil activity
Pilot project supports Ontario and Quebec ag Friday, July 24, 2026 A new two-year pilot project is designed to help livestock farmers in Quebec by giving them access to an Ontario abattoir. The project, a collaboration between the Quebec and Ontario governments, with additional support from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), would see a limited... Read this article online
Canada Opens Interprovincial Alcohol Sales Thursday, July 23, 2026 A major change to Canada's internal marketplace is set to create new opportunities for wineries, breweries and distilleries after nine provinces signed a landmark agreement allowing direct-to-consumer sales of alcoholic beverages across participating jurisdictions. The deal is being hailed... Read this article online
Heat and Rain have led to a challenging growing season for Cauliflower Growers in Ontario. Thursday, July 23, 2026 There are only 1,225 acres dedicated to growing cauliflower in Ontario, but they produce 14,545,000 lbs of the vegetable. Growers across key vegetable-producing regions are preparing for increased shipments of locally grown cauliflower to grocery stores, restaurants, wholesalers and... Read this article online
Who Knew so Much Canadian Watermelon is Grown in Ontario Thursday, July 23, 2026 Many consumers may think of watermelon as an exotic fruit, but Ontario grows about2,000 acresof watermelons each year, more than 35,084tonnesof watermelon.Watermelonharvest now is underway. Watermelon originated in northeastern Africa, particularly in the region that today includes Sudan... Read this article online
Ontario Farmers Harvest One of Canada’s Top Carrot Crops Wednesday, July 22, 2026 Carrots are among Ontario's most important vegetable crops, contributing significantly to local food production and year-round fresh produce availability. Ontario grows the most carrots of any Canadian province – 45% of the country’s carrots. According to Statistics Canada, Ontario... Read this article online