Tracking the Elusive Cutworm: Organic Science in the Making

Cutworms can be a frustrating and unpredictable pest for farmers, damaging crops before growers even realize they’re present.  Dr. Maxime Lefebvre from the Research and Development Institute for the Agri-environment (IRDA) and his team are studying cutworms in both the lab and the field. Their research looks at how factors like temperature, humidity, pathogens and parasitoids influence cutworm population dynamics. The goal is to use this information to build predictive models that can help farmers better time and optimize control measures. In this episode, we get up close with the elusive cutworm as Dr. Lefebvre and his research partners share their motivations, methods and what their findings could mean for organic vegetable farmers. This podcast series was originally released as the film series Captured on Film: Organic Science in the Making. You can find links to the films – and more information about all the research activities - on the Organic Science Cluster 4 website. That’s Organic-Science-Canada.ca Organic Science Cluster 4 is an industry-led research and development endeavour co-managed by the Organic Federation of Canada and the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada at Dalhousie University and supported by the AgriScience Program under Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership together with over 80 funding partners.