image expired

Running throughout the key periods of pest activity, the HDC Pest Bulletins are produced in association with Warwick University and Rothamsted Research and use weather data collected by Plantsystems.

Crops and pests covered in-season by the dedicated HDC Pest Bulletin webpage include:

There is also specific bulletin information on Large Narcissus Fly, along with a Syngenta photo gallery to aid pest and beneficial insect identification.

Rosie Atwood, HDC Knowledge Transfer Manager for Field Vegetables, said: "Advance warning of pest infestations is essential for growers to assess risk and plan their control strategies. It doesn't replace in-crop monitoring and field walking, but it does give an invaluable heads-up of what to look out for and what is occurring across the country," she advised. "If you can see what’s coming, then you have time to get ready."

Knowledge of which pest populations are developing, and how rapidly, is also an important part of an integrated crop management (ICM) plan to aid the selection of appropriate insecticides to optimise control and to assess the potential of beneficial insects to provide biological control, she added.

Ms Atwood reminded growers that it is important to re-visit and check the bulletin information on a weekly basis, especially when particular insects are developing rapidly.

HDC members will be provided with links to view bulletin pages from their weekly e-mail newsletters. 

Syngenta Vegetables and Speciality Crops Marketing Services Specialist, Rebecca Stilton, added that the company was pleased to support and sponsor the HDC Pest Bulletin on the website, as part of the on-going plan to provide growers with topical and valuable agronomy information through the season. 

"Having this information available alongside the knowledge and experience of the Syngenta vegetable varieties and crop protection options provides growers and agronomists with a fully Integrated Crop Solution. It also links into the Agricast weather information and other disease forecasting services, such as BrassicaAlert, to enable them to make more proactive decisions to deliver higher yields and crop quality more effectively," she added.