Top 10 cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) management strategies for oilseed rape (Draft v2)
- Ditch the date – avoid traditional sowing dates that coincide with peak CSFB numbers
- Establish the best crop possible – give your crop the best start in life
- Isolate your crop – grow OSR as far away as possible from the previous OSR crops (yours and others).
- Go low with seed rates – lower your seed rates to promote big, and vigorous plants
- Chuck the muck – Applying organic materials (amendments/manures/chicken muck) at sowing appears to have an effect over-and-above nutrition.
- Park the pyrethroids – Resistance in CSFB is widespread and severe in England
- Create Companions – Companion plants may reduce adult and larval pressure, and promote natural enemies
- Build brassica buddies – leaving volunteers or including border and in-field strips of turnip rape can reduce CSFB pressure
- Post harvest cultivation – cultivating the previous rape crop stubble soon after harvest may reduce emerging CSFB.
- Hidden gems – what else might you consider
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