Insects of Canola, Mustard, and Flax in Canadian Grasslands

Oilseed crops, particularly canola, Brassica napus L., and B. rapa L., are now a major part of the prairie landscape in Canada. A diverse assemblage of arthropods can be found in areas devoted to oilseed crop production, either feeding on a resource provided by the crop, or feeding on other insects that have been attracted to these areas. Some insects prefer to feed on other plants that are growing in fields of oilseed crops and will feed more readily on the oilseed crop only when the more preferred host diminishes or is destroyed. The principal orders of insects found in fields of oilseed crops include Orthoptera, Thysanoptera, Hemiptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, and Hymenoptera. Several species of spiders and mites also comprise a substantial component of the arthropod biodiversity of oilseed crops. Many other species of insects that are not discussed in this chapter include species that feed on crop residue, seeds on the soil surface from various plants, or soil invertebrates. More research is needed to fully understand the diversity of the insect community associated with oilseed crops in the Canadian prairies. Résumé. Les cultures d’oléagineux — notamment le canola, le Brassica napus L. et le B. rapa L. — constituent aujourd’hui un élément majeur du paysage des prairies canadiennes. On trouve dans les zones consacrées ces cultures une grande variété d’arthropodes qui dépendent des ressources qu’elles produisent, ou d’autres insectes attirés par ces ressources. Certains insectes préfèrent se nourrir d’autres plantes présentes dans les champs d’oléagineux et ne s’attaquent aux oléagineux que lorsque leur hôte préféré se raréfie ou est détruit. Les ordres principaux d’insectes que l’on trouve dans les champs d’oléagineux sont les orthoptères, les thysanoptères, les hémiptères, les coléoptères, les lépidoptères, les diptères et les hyménoptères. Plusieurs espèces d’araignées et d’acariens forment également une part appréciable de la biodiversité des arthropodes des cultures d’oléagineux. Beaucoup d’autres insectes sont passés sous silence dans le présent chapitre, notamment ceux qui se nourrissent de résidus de culture, de graines laissées à la surface du sol par diverses espèces de plantes, ou d’invertébrés du sol. De plus amples recherches seront requises pour parfaire nos connaissances de la diversité des communautés d’insectes vivant dans les cultures d’oléagineux des prairies canadiennes. Description of Habitat In the early years of agricultural development on the Canadian prairies, oilseed crops were not a major part of the prairie landscape. However, with the development of canola, the production of oilseed Brassica (Brassicaceae) crops has now expanded to become a major Gavloski, J., H. Cárcamo, and L. Dosdall. 2011. Insects of Canola, Mustard, and Flax in Canadian Grasslands. In Arthropods of Canadian Grasslands (Volume 2): Inhabitants of a Changing Landscape. Edited by K. D. Floate. Biological Survey of Canada. pp. 181-214. © 2011 Biological Survey of Canada. ISBN 978-0-9689321-5-5 doi:10.3752/9780968932155.ch8 182 John Gavloski, Héctor Cárcamo, and Lloyd Dosdall component of the prairie landscape (Table 1). Canola is the name applied to oilseed rapes (Brassica napus L. and B. rapa L.) that have been bred to produce seed that is low in erucic acid and glucosinolate. The canola cultivars were developed because erucic acid was a suspected health hazard for humans and glucosinolates caused the meal to be unpalatable or toxic to farm animals. Oilseed Brassica crops grow best in cool, short-season climates (Thomas 2002). This makes them very suitable for production on the Canadian prairies. Currently, annual forms of B. napus and B. rapa are sown in the spring in the Canadian prairies. Winter-dormant, biennial forms are sown in the late summer in some regions such as central and southern Europe. If winter-dormant varieties are adopted in Canada, their earlier development will result in insects encountering canola at more advanced stages of development and may alter the interactions between the insect and host (Dosdall and Stevenson 2005). Reduced and zero tillage methods of growing crops have become more common in Canada, with the resulting differences in habitat affecting insect–Brassica interactions (Dosdall et al. 1999b). In zero-tillage systems, organic residues accumulate from the previous crop, which can cause temperature reductions at or near the soil surface early in the growing season (Kasper et al. 1990). Zero-till systems also have less evaporation and higher soil moisture levels than occur in conventional systems (Lafond et al. 1992; Borstlap and Entz 1994). In addition to tillage systems, adoption of new cultivars, different seeding rates, and weed management practices can all affect the insect communities found on oilseed Brassica crops. Additional information on the production of canola in Canada is available through the Canola Council of Canada (see http://www.canola-council.org/). Mustards currently constitute a minor component of the oilseed brassicaceous crops grown in Canada. Yellow mustard (Sinapis alba L.), oriental mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Czern and Coss), and brown mustard (Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.) are the three main types grown in the country. Oriental mustard seed is often used to produce spicy cooking oils, whereas brown mustard is used to prepare specialty mustards, such as Dijon. Yellow mustard is used in traditional hot dog mustards. Mustard is produced primarily in the semi-arid regions of western Canada (Johnston et al. 2002). In recent years, cultivars of B. juncea with canola-like qualities have been grown in the Canadian prairies. Brassica juncea is more tolerant than canola of drought, heat, and frost. Additional information on growing mustard and its uses is available from the Saskatchewan Mustard Development Table 1. Hectares seeded to canola and rapeseed (Brassica napus and B. rapa) in western Canada from 1945 to 2005 (Statistics Canada 2009). Year Hectares seeded to canola in western Canada