Damage by the raspberry beetle ( Byturus tomentosus De Geer) in different raspberry cultivars.

Growing cultivars less susceptible to raspberry beetles (Byturus tomentosusDe Geer) reduces the need for chemical control and therefore has a great impact on environmentally friendly raspberry production. To determine the susceptibility of raspberry cultivars to raspberry beetles, larvae-induced damage to raspberry cultivars from the collection of the Polli Horticultural Research Centre of the Estonian University of Life Sciences, Estonia was determined during the years 2003–2011. A total of 17 cultivars were assessed: Aita, Alvi, Herbert, Ivars, Novokitaivska, Preussen, Tomo, Algonquine, Ottawa, Haida, Helkal, Glen Ample, Glen Magna, Glen Rosa, Nagrada, Norna and Veten. The early-flowering cultivars were significantly more damaged than the late-flowering cultivars. The most damaged cultivars were Ivars and Novokitaivska. The lowest damage occurred in the late-flowering cultivars Glen Ample and Glen Magna. Late-flowering cultivars are phenologically more isolated from the raspberry beetle. Growing late-flowering and less-susceptible cultivars is a promising alternative to minimise raspberry beetle-induced damage in integrated pest management and organic farming systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]