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Anybody else finding flea beetle larvae in the growing point of the plants . I thought there was less pressure this year but can find them easily .
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Anybody else finding flea beetle larvae in the growing point of the plants . I thought there was less pressure this year but can find them easily .
Apparently ive been banging my head against the wall regarding this point for 2 years now. Trying to drill OSR early (to get it away) makes 0 (zero/ziltch/nadda/nothing) difference to larvae numbers. It will stop the beetles literally eating the plant to death but it WILL NOT make a difference to larvae numbers.You would have thought if there was a year that rape could have got away from CSFB it would have been last autumn.
I pulled stumps on rape 2 years ago. Was talking with a couple of farmers yesterday who didn't plant last autumn after a disastrous 2020 rape harvest who where beginning to wonder if they should have had another roll of the dice this year. Adult CSFB numbers seemed quite low last autumn, so it doesn't bode well for the crop if it's still struggling now.Apparently ive been banging my head against the wall regarding this point for 2 years now. Trying to drill OSR early (to get it away) makes 0 (zero/ziltch/nadda/nothing) difference to larvae numbers. It will stop the beetles literally eating the plant to death but it WILL NOT make a difference to larvae numbers.
the problem for last autumn would be the small area of rape means the flea beetle eventually find the fields and lay their eggs once the crop has establishedI pulled stumps on rape 2 years ago. Was talking with a couple of farmers yesterday who didn't plant last autumn after a disastrous 2020 rape harvest who where beginning to wonder if they should have had another roll of the dice this year. Adult CSFB numbers seemed quite low last autumn, so it doesn't bode well for the crop if it's still struggling now.
Surely that's not unusual, so I would have thought they would survive fairly well.What is the tolerance of larvae to frost? At least 4 nights below -5 oC with no snow cover up here. Time to dissect some stems and check, I think.
I'm considering growing osr this year after winter barley. Will never have had osr grown in these fields before. I'm hoping colder temperatures up here will nuke the beasties.What is the tolerance of larvae to frost? At least 4 nights below -5 oC with no snow cover up here. Time to dissect some stems and check, I think.
Back in the 90s the advantage of cold dec jan feb was that the eggs hatched in nov and then it was too cold so later egg did not make itIt was only a tenuous theory. My worst CSFB years have been after mild winters with few major frosts.
It was only a tenuous theory. My worst CSFB years have been after mild winters with few major frosts.
Rape with out snow cover does not like -10looks like minimum a week at minus 5, or two days at -10 for 50% kill...