Written by cpm
Download PDF Aphids have had a bonanza year, putting the sugar beet crop under intense pressure from virus yellows. CPM gets the breeder’s view on addressing the virus yellows challenge having left the EU. A single gene solution isn’t desirable because it’s unlikely to be durable. By Lucy de la Pasture Very few sugar beet crops will have escaped a touch of virus yellows this season. According to BBRO, aphid numbers reached unprecedented numbers this spring, with as many as 50 winged and 200 wingless aphids/plant recorded on plants at their peak. “Aphids began migrating in the third week of March and reached high levels in April and May, when some crops were still at the cotyledon or first leaf stage. Other crops had staggered emergence, so plants were at multiple growth stages and some plants were susceptible for a long period of time,” explains Prof Mark Stevens speaking at the BBRO’s virtual BeetField20 Live last month. Aphid numbers soared to unprecedented numbers this spring and insecticide programmes haven’t been wholly effective at preventing virus infection. The forecast for virus yellows infection for the national crop this season was for 70-90% without any aphid control measures. Legally this season it…
The post Sugar beet – Is the future yellow? appeared first on cpm magazine.
Continue reading on CPM website...
If you are enjoying what you read then why not considering subscribing:
