Potato Review

www.potatoreview.com POTATO REVIEW SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 31 NATURAL CONTROL METHODS S own ower strips grown in the tramlines and headlands of potato crops not only provide biodiversity but can also increase the abundance of natural enemies of crop pests such as aphids, trials are showing. Trials in Scotland have been assessing the e ectiveness of this IPM strategy to provide oral food resources and a refuge habitat for A natural army Wild owers show encouraging results for aphid control hover ies, lacewings and ladybirds. Potato specialist agronomist Eric Anderson of Scottish Agronomy has been leading the research. e crop protection armoury has been depleted by withdrawal of products and recently several non-colonising aphid species have exhibited reduced sensitivity to pyrethroids, he told Potato Review. “Wild ower strips are increasingly adopted as measures to promote biodiversity in agro- ecosystems,” said Eric. “We need to know more about whether the species sown and sowing dates have an impact on the value of the strips and whether it supports the types of natural enemies needed to control potato pests, and deliver them to the crop when needed.” Eric said the e ectiveness of eld margins in boosting pest control strongly depends on their botanical composition. “Not all owers are suitable for supporting pest natural enemies, despite a broad range of biological control agents depending on owering vegetation as a source of nectar and pollen. Often non-crop elements that are designed for bird or pollinator conservation do not simultaneously make resources available to biological control agents,” he said. e eld trials have sought to optimise the “We need to know more about whether the species sown and sowing dates have an impact on the value of the strips.” ➜ Eric Anderson is leading the research on sown flower strips.

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