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Agricultural and food sciences
- Agricultural plant protection
Flea beetles are a pest of several crops. In cabbage crops and flax, the beetles mainly cause damage from April to September. The greatest damage risk is in the period after sowing, when host plants are in the germination and seedling stage. Feeding by aardvark can cause failure at this stage. In addition, feeding damage results in loss of quality and reduced amount of marketable product.
This project aims to develop a system-based strategy to reduce the groundflea pressure in cabbage and flax cultivation. This will anticipate this emerging pest organism and minimize damage. To achieve this, several systems are being tested and developed within the framework of IPM that can reduce beetle numbers during different crucial phases of the life cycle and this both during and after the cultivation period of both focus crops. The above main goal will be realized through the development of the following concrete objectives:
- Inventory of the ground flea layer and its migration and overwintering patterns
- Development and validation of prevention and control measures during the cultivation period
- System approach beyond the cultivation period.