Sarah ArnoldDay 2 of #AAB_IPPM meeting and today is more entomological (but not entirely!). Lots of good talks on the schedule.
#IntegratedPestManagement #IPPM #SustainableAgriculture #HorticulturalEntomology
Paul Wilson starts us off with insights into productivity and sustainability in UK agriculture, and his "10 drivers of farm success" - a lot is about willingness to seek new information and look at the business case for interventions on a crop (margins v. yields).
Highlighting the switch from labour to capital (e.g. mechanisation) on farms - future may involve driverless tractors and more technology involved in data/decisions.
On to Avice Hall, explaining how monitoring environmental conditions can reduce the number of powdery mildew sprays needed for strawberry dramatically (yes please!). We managed to get our mildew sprays down to approx. fortnightly this year, but I would love to cut them more if we can get away with it.
Interesting the role of silicon nutrient in cutting both powdery mildew and two-spotted spider-mite. Might need to try that myself, as TSSM is a nightmare, and anything to boost the biocontrol performance would be brilliant.
#AAB_IPPM #StrawberryPowderyMildew #IPPM #TwoSpottedSpiderMite #Biocontrol
Andrew Gladman (ADAS) talks about alyssum companion planting for control of thrips - both drawing the thrips away from the crop and also boosting populations of biocontrols like Orius. Exciting potential, should be interesting to see the system getting optimised.
Other parts of Europe have a predatory thrips licensed for biocontrol releases to control herbivorous thrips on strawberry - not yet in UK but maybe in future...? #AAB_IPPM #Thrips #CompanionPlanting #IPM
Amrithapriya Bindu (JIC) has been looking at Sinapis alba, as a potential source of resistance traits relevant to oilseed rape in the ongoing battle with cabbage stem flea beetle. CSFB is a bit problem in the UK, especially since the end of neonicotinoid seed treatments, and has resulted in fewer farmers growing this crop. So new, sustainable control methods are needed.
S. alba cultivars are very variable in their palatability to CSFB adults! But by looking at the difference between the most and least attractive we may be able to work out ways to reduce attractiveness of OSR to this pest. #AAB_IPPM #CabbageStemFleaBeetle #OilseedRape
Sereene Ghariani presents work on RNAi for management of cabbage stem flea beetle - another possibility to deal with this very damaging pest. Once the tech is trialled a bit more, can it be adapted relatively easily to other beetle pests of crops? #AAB_IPPM
Cliven Njekete has been looking at multi-target biocontrol plants - plants which use volatiles, root exudates, physical properties, banker plant properties, trap plant properties, etc. to help control multiple pests via one or more modalities. Tagetes spp. promising candidates. #AAB_IPPM
Tom Ashfield and a multidisciplinary team have been looking at using multispectral imaging to detect slugs in fields. At the moment only really 2 tools available for slug control in agriculture: slug pellets (ferric) and nematodes, which are too expensive to make economic sense in arable crops. By getting more precise data about here the slugs are, you can target the areas with high slug density. As a result, the amount of product (molluscicide/nematodes) can be reduced, with economic and environmental benefits.
Ilma Qonaah has been examining wheat resistance to the aphid-vectored BYDV. She compared 2 apparently resistant strains, finding one had low transmission of virus (resists fast), whereas the other had high transmission but the virus didn't replicate (resists more slowly). #AAB_IPPM #CropResistance #Cereals
Amma Simon presents some work about aphids and fusarium on wheat; R. padi goes on leaves/stems, S. avenae on heads, which also can get Fusarium. Therefore, S.a. avoids Fusarium-infected wheat but R.p. does not, and can benefit from infection!
#AAB_IPPM #Entomology #PlantPathology
#AAB_IPPM #Entomology #PlantPathology
Jude Bennison (ADAS) updates us on aphids of organic celery - mostly willow-carrot. Commercial Aphidius will parasitise but be patient (14 days). Can boost numbers with banker plants! Netting hit-and-miss - damaged netting can do more harm than good. Beauveria had some potential but underperformed in field. #AAB_IPPM
Keeping with willow-carrot aphid, Mst Atikunnaher has been screening different carrot cultivars for resistance, but the most exciting findings came from companion cropping with garlic-chives, which may offer protection to carrot crops. #AAB_IPPM
David Lawrence Miller@sejarnold thanks for the aphid updates! :)