Written by Charlotte Cunningham
Recent findings from trials carried out by the Processors and Growers Research Organisation (PGRO) has shown that cultural techniques could help to manage seed fly damage. Charlotte Cunningham reports. Bean seed fly (delia platura) is a pest with a wide host range that includes peas and beans, the larvae feeding on imbibing seeds and small seedlings as they emerge. However, initial findings from trial work by PGRO suggests that the period between cultivation and drilling may be more important when managing the damage – rather than the drill type or whether rolling had been undertaken – with maximum damage recorded on the plots that were drilled on the same day as cultivation, and lowest damage recorded on plots cultivated 21 and 28 days prior to drilling. “We’ve been evaluating cultural techniques for the management of bean seed fly damage in vining peas,” explains Dr Becky Howard, PGRO. “There’s no longer chemical control for bean seed fly larvae or adults and the problem has increased considerably in recent years, with some vining pea groups experiencing high losses at establishment. “The flies are attracted to freshly cultivated soils, especially those containing large quantities of fresh organic material such as weed debris or…
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