United Oilseeds with Niab will be running its spring cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) larval survey again this year.
Last year, close to 200 farmers submitted plant samples which were dissected by NIAB’s Colin Peters, helping to build a clearer national picture of larval pressure ahead of harvest. Niab is keen to receive samples this spring but for those who want to do it themselves too, it is surprisingly simple and inexpensive.
With just a few black buckets (avoid orange — it’s harder to spot larvae once they’ve dropped), some chicken wire and some water with washing up liquid, growers and agronomists can produce their own DIY sampling kit.
“It’s very simple to do and only takes a few minutes, and basically mimics what happens in the season, as it dries out the larvae leave the plant,” says Colin. “Once the kit has been put together insert ten plants and move to a covered area and in four to six weeks, inspect the buckets for larvae numbers. If you have more than 15 per plant, then mitigation measures will be needed ahead of next season.”
Helpfully, Colin has produced a video, to access please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0rIZZjnB6I
And Colin asks that you please forward your results to him. He can be contacted at: colin.peters@niab.com
