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
#AAB_IPPM
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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.
Day 2 of #AAB_IPPM meeting and today is more entomological (but not entirely!). Lots of good talks on the schedule.
#IntegratedPestManagement #IPPM #SustainableAgriculture #HorticulturalEntomology
Jonathan Jones works us through case studies of precision breeding for disease-resistant crops, enabling pesticide reduction. Highlights challenges of determining PBA-compatibility where receptor genes come from/are based on diploid crop ancestors or near relative species. #AAB_IPPM #PrecisionCropBreeding
Jim Dunwell brings us up to date with ACRE (Advisory Committee for Releases into the Environment) oversight and procedures relevant to the Precision Breeding Act - new legislation/processes to allow precision-bred crops, including with pest/pathogen resistance, to be grown in England.
Slightly weird situation with UK devolved nations where England, Wales, Scotland can all write their own rules for precision-bred crop cultivation, but internal market rules mean crops grown in one nation can be sold in another regardless.
Allah Bakhsh showed us some results of dsRNA bioassays on colorado beetle - exciting prospects for control. It has high potential to be a safe and effective technique to manage pests, but I don't know how consumers will respond?
Then Rosemary Collier discussed IPM in fresh produce, and what needs doing as more plant protection products disappear from growers' toolkit. We will need to look at more resistant varieties of crops, and the role of biodiversity in natural pest regulation.
#AAB_IPPM #RNAi #IPM #CropProtection
Meghan England (Teagasc) has been surveying Irish farmers about their use of biocontrol/biostimulants. Many farmers have tried them somewhat, and many are positive about trying, but lack of knowledge identified as a barrier.
Farmer testimonials increase uptake! I've seen this pattern all over the world - research data and advisory information isn't always persuasive, but peer adoption drives uptake of new approaches in farming.
David Cooke (Hutton) updating us on late blight in potato - 2025's dry spring meant it wasn't a bad year. Different clones of the pathogen are coming and going. A key infection source is tubers left in the ground between seasons - control your volunteers. #AAB_IPPM
Entomovectoring with Mojgan Rabiey at Warwick - bumblebees can carry bacteriophages to cherry flowers, allowing control of cherry canker on flowers (and thus fruit) - bees can find the flowers better than we can to distribute the phages.
I've never heard of it with phages before but seems an exciting and promising (and environmentally safer) route to part of canker management. Also means bees don't spread the pathogen as the phage "disinfects" them.
Rosa Sanchez-Lucas explains that ash dieback severity is affected by the neighbouring trees, with some species being protective and others increasing risk of severe symptoms. Neighbouring-tree effects could have wider implications in forestry/tree crop management.
Don Pendergast (Agrii) introduces peptide plant-elicitor - promising suggestions it can increase efficacy of fungicide control of fungal pathogens on crops, and environmentally benign - safe and novel disease management. #AAB_IPPM
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