Cereal growers are being asked to safeguard the efficacy of aphicides by reporting control failures and sending off aphid samples for resistance analysis.

The request forms part of a UK aphid-monitoring programme, part-funded by AHDB, which looks to detect emerging resistance issues so they can be tackled before they become an established threat to UK cereal production.

Rothamsted Research, which conducts the aphid screening work, is particularly looking for live field samples of bird cherry–oat aphid that unexpectedly survive treatment with insecticides this autumn.

More details are available from AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds here.