Written by Charlotte Cunningham
Rothamsted Research has issued a plea to OSR growers to collect flea beetle samples for new research. CPM reports. Herts-based research centre, Rothamsted, is asking oilseed rape growers to send samples of adult cabbage stem flea beetles collected at harvest to assess levels of both pesticide resistance and parasitization by natural enemies in the UK. In return, the Institute will provide farmers with data for their own area and a measure of how it compares nationally. The call for insects is part of a project to determine if a wasp recently discovered to parasitize the beetles might be an effective bio-control agent. Cabbage stem flea beetle numbers have been increasing since the 2013 ban on neonicotinoid seed treatments in OSR with serious yield losses, especially in the East and South-East of the country. Pyrethroid sprays are currently the only control option, but resistance to them is widespread in the UK. Economic loss Patricia Ortega-Ramos, who is conducting the research, said without accurate information on the susceptibility of local populations, each treatment is a gamble. “Farmers are risking economic loss, increased pest resistance, and harmful impacts on non-target organisms. But there is new hope for control. “Recently, a natural parasitoid of…
The post Farmers urged to collect flea beetles for Rothamsted appeared first on cpm magazine.
Continue reading on CPM website...
If you are enjoying what you read then why not considering subscribing:
