Following DEFRA’s decision to deny the application for emergency authorisation to use the neonicotinoid-based Cruiser SB, farmers are being reminded of alternatives to help manage aphids and the threat of yellows virus (YV) to sugar beet.

Biological alternatives have shown promising results in trials including a silicon-based product manufactured by Orion Future Technologies.

“Sirius, a biostimulant with 21% bio available silicon, was trialled in 2022 and has since been used by growers in the UK to help strengthen sugar beet plants against damaging virus transmission,” explains Orion agronomist Mike Stoker.

Unlike Cruiser SB, which provides seed protection against the potato peach aphid and the yellows virus it transmits, Sirius strengthens the cell walls of the plant and increases leaf hair density to make the plant less appealing to aphids.

“This approach, alongside common insecticides including Tepppeki and Insyst, has shown a significant reduction in the virus transmission. By accumulating more silicon, the plant becomes less attractive to pests and combining this with aphicides offers an attractive alternative to using Cruiser SB,” he says.

Emma Hardy MP, Minister for Water and Flooding and the minister responsible for pesticides, suggests in her recently published decision that yield losses in 2019 and 2021 when Cruiser SB was not available, were minimal (0.5%). She accepts a freak 25% crop loss in 2020 occurred when Cruiser was not available but says that crop losses ranging from 0.3%-1.7% when Cruiser SB was available in 2022-2024 were not dissimilar to 2019 and 2021.

“Relying solely on seed treatments is not a sustainable way to farm sugar beet in the UK, nor has it necessarily provided the level of protection expected. There are alternatives, and concentrating on strengthening plants using naturally available solutions like silicon are sustainable and efficacious,” says Mr Stoker.

Silicon is applied as a foliar spray to sugar beet at growth stage 6-8 true leaves and, once accumulated, acts to reduce the feeding time of predating pests such as aphids. This reduction in feeding time has been identified as an important factor in the reduction in virus transmission and has also led to healthier plants with an improved yield.

“The data we have gathered from multiple sources, field application, replicated plot trials and lab studies has demonstrated not only why a silicon treated crop is more resilient, but also how increasing silicon levels in the plant can have a positive impact on quality and yield,” he concludes.