BYDV sprays paid
BYDV sprays paid
BARLEY yellow dwarf virus is unlikely to affect UK cereals widely this spring, despite the mild winter. Growers heeded warnings of the threat to crops and applied appropriate sprays, says IACR-Rothamsted entomologist Richard Harrington.
Apart from a slight blip caused by Octobers cold snap, populations of potentially virus-bearing aphids in untreated trial plots continued to increase throughout the autumn, says Dr Harrington. "It is most unusual for numbers to continue rising in December. I think this year they were as high as I have ever known.
"But I dont expect to see great swathes of yellow from BYDV. We warned from the early stages that it was going to be a high risk year and there was more insecticide spraying done than usual. I know of very few crops, apart from those sown quite late, which have not had a spray."
Despite the pests autumn fecundity, the BYDV threat to spring cereals is no greater than usual, he adds. "I should be very surprised if they make it through the winter." Spring infestations normally arise from populations over-wintering as eggs on trees, he notes.