Beans at risk from beetle
Beans at risk from beetle
WINTER beans coming into flower need checking for bruchid beetle and chocolate spot alike. But combining sprays may not be practical.
"Were starting to see beetles coming into our monitoring sites and it looks as though the problem certainly wont be any less severe than last year," says Barry McKeown, senior technical services officer at the Processors and Growers Research Organisation.
Full rate deltamethrin (Decis) is likely to be worthwhile if beetles are readily found in crops destined for export or seed markets.
Timing must be spot on. Going too early, to catch the crucial early flowering stage for chocolate spot, could mean a second beetle spray is needed.
"Crops must be well into flowering to avoid repeat sprays," says Mr McKeown. *