According to Agrovista, an organic amendment can help improve OSR establishment, useful in protecting crops from cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) infestations.
It has seen promising results with new biostimulant SeaBoost – a formulated combination of fish hydrolysate, Sea2Soil and L-CBF TerraFed, a liquid carbon fertiliser based on molasses.
“This is a brand-new concept we’re developing,” says Chris Martin, Agrovista’s head of soils. In Niab trials, it showed a 90% reduction in damage to oilseed rape leaves from CSFB 12 days after application, while also reducing flea beetle damage to stems by 59% 22 days after application.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that flea beetles cannot digest the sugars in the molasses in L-CBF Terrafed, which is an equivalent product to L-CBF Boost without the addition of urea and other nutrients. “It doesn’t kill or stop them, but it seems to make them feel bloated and unhappy,” Chris says.
Where Agrovista agronomists tested the concept last season commercially by tank mixing L-CBF Boost and Sea2Soil together, reports from the fields have been encouraging, Chris says. “They’ve reported visible greening of the crop, even under low flea beetle pressure,” he says.
Further trials to find the best timing to apply SeaBoost to test its deterrent activity in a more controlled manner are planned for this autumn. Agrovista will also investigate mixing with its cellulose nanofibre product, Nanomesh, which acts as a physical barrier against the pest to find out whether that approach provides further protection.
