South Okanagan Research Articles

INCREASE IN YIELD AND PROTEIN CONTENT OF NATIVE BLUEBUNCH WHEATGRASS FROM NITROGEN FERTILIZATION

A native, bluebunch wheatgrass stand on a Brown soil in the South Okanagan district of British Columbia with a mean precipitation of 11 inches has shown striking response to nitrogen fertilization. With applications of ammonium nitrate broadcast annually at rates of 0 to 60 lb. of actual nitrogen per acre, yield was increased from 640 to 1060 lb. of dry matter in 1957 and from 678 to 1725 lb in 1958. Protein content increased from 3.9 to 6.2 per cent and protein production per acre from 27 to 107 lb. Ground cover of Agropyron spicatum increased from 4.6 to 6.8 per cent, of Poa secunda from 2.0 to 2.7 per cent. The number of culms of Agropyron spicatum per hundred-point sample increased from 9.8 to 188.2.

Effects of Temperature and Humidity on Toxicities of Three Insecticides to Larvae of the Codling Moth (Lepidoptera: Olethreutidae)

Before the advent of synthetic organic insecticides, it was much more difficult to control the codling moth, Carpocapsa pomonella (L.), in arid, hot areas with a long growing season, as in the Pacific northwest, than in cooler areas such as Ontario, where there is more rainfall and usually a shorter growing season. As a rule, in all apple growing areas, the codling moth is most numerous during summers in which the temperatures are above normal, particularly if the prevailing temperatures are high at dusk, when the moth is ovipositing. Consequently, unsatisfactory control in hot, dry areas, such as the South Okanagan of British Columbia, was attributed largely to the direct and favorable influence of climate on codling moth development (Webster, 1936).

Chemical Control of the Pine Needle Scale, Phenacaspis pinifoliae (Fitch) (Homoptera: Diaspididae), in British Columbia

During the past few years the pine needle scale, Phenacaspis pinifoliae (Fitch), has severely injured ponderosa pine, Engelmann spruce, and other evergreens in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. The home owner is most concerned because this insect is capable of ruining the appearance of evergreens on his property. Infestations may be severe on trees growing in submarginal forest areas.Field experiments were conducted in the South Okanagan Valley in 1955 to determine whether lime-sulphur, malathion, or Diazinon (0,0-diethyl-0-[2-isopropyl-4-methyl-pyrimidyl (6)] thiophosphate) would control the scale on ponderosa pine trees.

Bird Notes Made at Vaseaux Lake, South Okanagan, British Columbia — April, May and June, 1922

Bird Notes Made at Vaseaux Lake, South Okanagan, British Columbia — April, May and June, 1922