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The Efficacy of Seed Treatments on Major Sugar Beet Pests: Possible Consequences of the Recent Neonicotinoid Ban
- Source :
- Agronomy, Volume 11, Issue 7, Agronomy, Vol 11, Iss 1277, p 1277 (2021)
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- MDPI AG, 2021.
-
Abstract
- Sugar beet production remains unprotected after the ban on neonicotinoids, while pest pressure is increasing. Although the organic approach to agriculture is highly welcomed, the question remains whether it will be possible to grow sugar beet without pesticides. The aim of this study is to determine the efficacy of seed treatments with neonicotinoids on the main sugar beet pests, to determine the susceptibility of the pests under the specific climatic conditions and to discuss possible consequences of the ban of neonicotinoids on the future of sugar beet production in southeast Europe. The study was conducted in two different climatic regions in Croatia in two consecutive years. The tested variants were: seed coated with imidacloprid, seed coated with a combination of thiamethoxam and teflutrin and untreated control. Our results showed that seed coatings with imidacloprid and thiamethoxam provided satisfactory protection against wireworms, flea beetles and sugar beet weevils at low population pressure. These pests are regular pests of sugar beet in southern and eastern Europe and therefore need to be controlled. Caterpillars and aphids were present in low populations, so the efficacy of the insecticides tested cannot be determined with certainty. A further research program is needed to find alternative solutions and develop easily implementable strategies for all sugar beet pests. We would propose an authorization of neonicotinoids for seed treatment of sugar beet in the regions with high infestation pressure of the main sugar beet pests.
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
efficacy
010501 environmental sciences
medicine.disease_cause
01 natural sciences
chemistry.chemical_compound
Imidacloprid
Infestation
medicine
imidacloprid
insect pests
thiametoxam
teflutrin
seed
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
biology
fungi
Neonicotinoid
food and beverages
Agriculture
Pesticide
biology.organism_classification
010602 entomology
chemistry
Agronomy
Seed treatment
Sugar beet
PEST analysis
Thiamethoxam
Agronomy and Crop Science
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 20734395
- Volume :
- 11
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Agronomy
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....0087f709d4742fadef2528330c1b91b3
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11071277