Archive Article: 1997/08/08

8 August 1997

Pollen beetle control proved its worth in Tayside farmer David Robertsons crop of high erucic acid spring rape (top) at Cookston Farm, Eassie, Forfar. Damp conditions meant part of the peaty field missed out on a pass with 150ml/ha of alpha-cypermethrin (Fastac), leading to severe flower bud damage, clearly visible at flowering. The resulting pods were very small and seedless and many aborted (bottom picture). At the time of treatment the three beetle/plant threshold was easily exceeded, notes agronomist Frank Bourne of Wallace of Kelso.