BEWARE – BEET virus yellows can compound the effects of rhizomania.

 “The two together have a cumulative effect, producing a 1+1=3 scenario,” says Brooms Barn”s Mark Stevens.

 “In trials where the two infected Roberta, half the plants showing yellowing symptoms, there was an 83% root yield loss, and sugars were halved at just 9%.”

 Rhizo-affected growers should spray for aphids as soon as the threshold of one wingless adult to four plants is seen, he advised.